Life Goes On
by CheerfulChemist
Summary: This story begins when Kate and Rick are lying bleeding on the floor and holding hands in Ep 8-22. It is meant to fill in the seven year gap left by the writers. Kate wants to do bigger things to clean up the kind of corruption that allowed LokSat to happen. Of course I own nothing Castle, but soldier on with it's passing. CastleFicathon2016
1. Chapter 1

Life Goes On

Chapter One.

Kate held the breath made so difficult by the bullet that had penetrated her side beneath her shirt. With her hand desperately grasping Castle's, she thought she could feel a faint flutter in the flesh beneath his thumb, Weak as it was, it was a pulse. He was still alive. The blood was spreading over the front of his shirt on the right side. The bullet hadn't hit his heart, but there were so many other things it might have hit. If they didn't get help soon, he would bleed out, and though her blood was draining more slowly, she would too. She strained for what seemed to be the whine of sirens in the distance. Caleb Brown's gun had been silenced, but hers had not. Someone must have heard the shots. Please God, someone must have heard the shots. The sirens grew louder, but the room faded around her. Consciousness retreated as she prayed help would come before the faint beat she clung to faded as well.

* * *

Castle fought his way back to consciousness. "Kate!"

A hand pressed gently against his shoulder, "Shhh, Dad, everything is all right."

"She's just in another room Richard," his mother's voice comforted. "She's restless and sitting up. We brought her to see you in ICU as often as we could. They just moved you down here. You've been out for two days."

Castle forced his muzzy brain to focus. "Caleb Brown?"

"Dead," Martha declared. "Katherine's bullets took him out and good riddance."

Castle tried to use a dry tongue to wet drier lips. "LokSat?"

"Dismantled, Dad," Alexis replied, "the whole group, or at least the ones who didn't get killed in the raid.. The NSA and the CIA kept the details out of the media as much as they could, but Hayley used her MI-5 contacts to get information. "They're being held incommunicado while they're debriefed, then they're destined for Guantanamo, or somewhere like it."

Castle closed his eyes and shook his head. "Debriefed, that's taken on a whole new meaning after what Mr. Flynn did to me. I suppose if what was done to my memory could be done, super truth serum isn't much of a step away."

"Hard to know who the good guys are anymore," Alexis offered.

"You got that right," Castle rasped. "But at least two of them are in this room with me. Could you see if Kate wants to come in, I mean if she can?"

Alexis squeezed his hand. "She can and I'm sure she'll want to Dad. I'll go hunt up someone who can snag a wheelchair for her."

* * *

Alexis wheeled Kate to Castle's side. "We'll just leave you two alone," Martha announced, using her eyes and a tilt of her head to urge Alexis to follow her from the room.

Kate stroked Castle's arm with her fingertips. "You're really here. You're really awake. You lost so much blood and then when they told me your heart stopped twice during surgery, I just wasn't sure you'd make it back to me."

"What happened?" Castle asked. "I mean I remember Caleb Brown shooting me and I remember feeling the blood on your hand, and then nothing."

"The whole building heard the shots Castle. Espo told me there were ten calls to 911. Then as soon as the units responding realized who I was, they notified the precinct. Ryan and Esposito camped out here until I woke up, and they've been alternating with Hayley ever since. Alexis and Martha are probably talking to Ryan right now. Jenny's been here, and L.T., and Officer Harrison. Gates even came over from 1PP. Everyone's been pulling for you. The bullet lacerated your liver, Babe. The doctors had to take a piece of it. For a while it looked like you might need a new one, but now they're saying it will just regenerate on it's own." She brushed her knuckles against his face. "You'll probably be off the scotch bottle for a while."

Castle tried to reach for her face, and she lowered her head so he could reach it. "The only thing I couldn't stand being off of is you."

Kate caressed the fingers that touched her skin. "That's something you don't have to worry about Castle. I'm not going to put either one of us in the line of fire anymore. When I do go back to the Twelfth, I'll be behind a desk and I think I may give law school another shot."

Castle raised his eyebrows in confusion. "You said you didn't want to. That you wanted to bring people justice, not get them off."

"I do Castle. But this whole LokSat affair, what Sofia Turner did, and, the behavior of the A.G.'s office, even the kinds of things your father does, they've all made me realize that the dirt isn't all in the streets. It's with the very people we trust to protect us. The only prayer I have to clean it up is to go where the power is. And the only way to do that, much as I hate them, is politics. The party wants me. So I'm going to get my law degree and I'm going to run."

"Hey, good for you," Castle smiled as best he could. "But can you do that and still be a police captain?"

"I think I can while I stick my toe in, Castle, take some night courses. Most captains keep pretty regular hours. I'm going to apply to Columbia, NYU, and CUNY, for the winter semester. and if I get into any of them, "I'll resign from the force."

"If you get in," Castle chuckled, "of course you'll get in to all of them. Then your only choice will be picking which one you want to honor with your presence."

Kate rolled her eyes."We'll see about that, Castle. Remember Alexis and Stanford? But the doctors told me I'll be able to go back to work in about six weeks. That will give me time to fill out applications and hang out with my favorite writer."

Castle twisted a strand of her hair around his finger. "We haven't had much time just to hang out, have we? We were even working a case on our honeymoon. First Bracken then LokSat has ruled so much of our lives."

"Well that's not going to happen anymore," Kate declared. "From now on we're going to chart a course of our own."


	2. Chapter 2

Life Goes On

Chapter 2

Kate couldn't believe the butterflies in her stomach. She was only starting an introductory course. She and Castle had spent much of their convalescence at his beach house. Maddie Queller had opened a branch of Q3 in the Hamptons and had sent meals much more spectacular than what Kate and Castle had the energy to cook, adding to the vacation feel of their recovery. For the first few weeks, they'd spent much of their time lying in the sun and talking. Castle had always had to goad Kate into sharing details of her life, but at their retreat, the words had tumbled out, for both of them. Kate finally understood the lonely and abandoned little boy who had shielded himself with the bravado of his clownish persona. As much as she loved Martha, there were a couple of times Kate really wanted to kick her for what Castle had endured while Martha trod the boards. Kate swore to herself that if she ever had children, they would know every second that they were loved and cared for, as she had been.

As healing started to take a firm hold, Castle had started writing a Derrick Storm story loosely based on LokSat and Kate had perused law books her father had lent her. Between her education in criminal justice and her experience on the force, much of what she read, except for civil law, was old news. She had taken half a day in New York to take the LSAT and thought she'd done well. But still, she was nervous. After putting in full days at the precinct, however paper logged, she wasn't sure she'd have the energy or the concentration to excel in her courses and she could accept nothing less from herself. She knew her professor by name if not personally. Professor Edgar McDonald had been involved in the fight Alexis waged to prevent the execution of an innocent man. Despite that in the end, with an assist from Ryan, Esposito, Lanie, and herself, it had been Castle and Alexis who'd uncovered the real killer, Alexis still held her professor in high regard. Kate understood how unusual it was for a Columbia law professor to spend his time teaching a class at a night school, and she appreciated the effort he would be making.

McDonald started with introducing himself and projecting slides from his laptop to outline the course. Concentrating on what was in front of her, Kate barely heard the back door of the classroom squeak open. She recognized the soft pop of a silenced gun and McDonald fell to the ground. Grabbing her phone out of her pocket, Kate ran to him, calling for help before starting CPR. Even as she pumped his chest, she could see it was hopeless. No one could live without the amount blood that was already on the floor. She flashed back to Castle. This had almost been his fate, and her own. One of the other students explained that he had been a medic in the army and took over the futile compressions from Kate. She ran into the hallway, looking for any signs of the shooter. But there was not a soul in sight. Kate realized it wouldn't matter if there was. She'd never seen the shooter. She'd been in the same room with him or her and hadn't the faintest idea who she was chasing. "Some cop I am," she muttered to herself.

* * *

At the loft, Castle regarded his wife with incredulity. "Your first night in law school and there's a murder? Kate you've turned this over to Ryan and Esposito, right?"

"More or less. They're doing the grunt work, interviewing witnesses, scrubbing security video, and setting up a canvass. But I was the first cop on the scene Castle, that makes me the primary. Anyway," Kate continued, "the case does have a family connection. Alexis was very fond of McDonald, if a little disappointed in him. I should keep on top of it for her."

"Does she know yet?" Castle inquired.

Kate nodded. "I called her. She was pretty upset. She said she and Hayley are going to dig into McDonald's history and see if they can figure out who might want him dead."

"Wait a minute!" Castle objected. "You and I are trying to keep from having guns pointed at us but my daughter is going after a murderer? She and Hayley are supposed to be working on skip traces and stolen paintings, not murders. No way, Kate. As owner of Richard Castle Investigations I'm going to put my foot down."

Kate unconsciously pushed her hair back. "And how is that going to stop her? She's your daughter, Castle, maybe even more stubborn than you, if that's possible. If she decides she's going to do something, she'll do it, and if you tell her no, she'll just want to do it more. Besides, she and Hayley are going to do their research on your fancy computer system, not on the street. They may even come up with something useful. At the worst, they'll be wasting some time. I asked Hayley to keep me apprised.

"Fine," Castle pouted. "I can drop in on them tomorrow and see how it's going. I haven't been to the P.I. Office since..."

"I know Castle. Just try to stay calm, okay?"

"I will," Castle agreed grudgingly.

* * *

Ryan knocked on the door frame of Kate's office. "Finished scrubbing the security video. The shooter is on it, but there's no useful view of his face. He knew where the cameras were."

"So it is a he not a she," Kate clarified.

Ryan shrugged. "That was a generic 'he'. The video has the shooter in a hoodie and baggy sweat pants. It could be a she, but it would have to be a tall one. Tech estimated the height at six feet."

"Anything else?" Kate queried "Hair color, skin color?"

Ryan shook his head. "The hair was covered by the hoodie and there was no visible skin. I emailed a picture to Jenny, though. With her experience as a buyer, she might be able to figure out where the clothes came from. It's not much, but it's something."

"Yeah, well keep on it," Kate responded as her cell buzzed.

Castle's face appeared on the caller ID. "Kate we may have something. Alexis was digging through the cases that McDonald worked on in his project. She found some stuff that made her spidey sense tingle."

"Castle, could you be a little more specific than spidey sense?" Kate requested.

"It would be easier if we showed you," Castle suggested. Kate consulted her father's watch, which she still kept strapped to her wrist. "It's almost lunchtime, Castle. You want to order in and I'll come join you?"

"Fine," Castle agreed. "Wu Fang's should take about forty-five minutes. You feel like getting your mouth around a spring roll?" Kate could almost see his eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

"Castle you know I love getting my mouth around a spring roll, but we can take care of that later. Just order the food and I'll be there."

"So what is the big revelation?" Kate queried as she dug her her chop sticks into sweet and sour shrimp, at Richard Castle Investigations.

"Show her, Alexis," Castle suggested.

Alexis put down her own chop sticks and opened her laptop. A picture of Edgar McDonald was prominently displayed with the headline, "Innocent Man Executed Due to Undiscovered Lab Error." "Dad, this was one of Professor McDonald's cases, a murder rape. It was in Texas, so they weren't slow with the needle. McDonald tried to prove they had the wrong man with DNA. The rape kit somehow was 'lost,' but McDonald had the victim's clothing tested. The lab identified the DNA as belonging to the man charged with the crime, Joey Furtow. Even after Joey's execution, his family could never believe he was guilty and they arranged to have the test run again. It turned out that samples had been mixed up. The person who actually committed the murder was a suspect in a number of other rapes, a Harold Morrison. Joey was cleared posthumously, but McDonald started getting death threats, accusing him of costing Joey his life."

"Did the police figure out where the death threats were coming from?" Kate questioned.

Alexis shook her head. "No, but from the look of things they didn't try very hard. McDonald has never been popular with the D.A.'s office and most cops don't want to get on the D.A.'s bad side."

Kate gazed at the story displayed on Alexis' screen. "Yeah, I can understand that. Furillo is not real fond of having people undermine his cases. He has political ambitions and he doesn't want any screw-ups that could be used against him in an election."

"Just the sort of thing you want to fight," Castle observed.

"Yeah, well if I'm gonna fight political corruption, I'm going to need a new law professor. Right now I'll just work on solving McDonald's murder as a cop," Kate declared. "Thanks Alexis. Email me a copy of your file and I'll have the boys track down anyone who might be behind the threats. And if that person is our shooter, they would have had to come to New York. That will give us a trail."

Castle pulled Kate in for a kiss as Alexis and Hayley looked at each other, rolling their eyes. "Just make sure you don't get bushwhacked on it."


	3. Chapter 3

Life Goes On

Chapter 3

On her way back to her office, Kate stopped by Ryan's desk to check on his results. "Did Jenny recognize the shooter's clothes?"

"The good news is that she did," Ryan replied. "The bad news is that they sell them all over the city. We did get something on a traffic cam. There was a car speeding away from the scene just moments after the shooting. It was stolen and unis found it abandoned about a mile away. CSU is going over it."

Kate nodded. "Good. Alexis may have dug up a lead also. McDonald had been getting death threats. She emailed me her file. I'll send it on to you and Espo."

"On it," Ryan acknowledged.

Kate went on to her office to begin working through the mound of paperwork that accompanied her captaincy. "I'm really beginning to understand why Gates was always in such a crappy mood," she thought to herself, "and why she needed reading glasses." By the time end of shift came around, Kate was more than happy to go home to Castle. She just hoped he'd be there, instead of at the PI office. She much preferred having him create imaginary killers to chasing real ones, especially without her to have his back. Hayley was good, but Kate had always trusted her own skills more."

Kate found Castle sitting on a high stool at the counter slicing vegetables for an early dinner. Making a mental note that he usually worked in the kitchen standing up, she assumed that the day had been draining. He'd had more healing to do than she had, and still tired more easily. But he seemed energetic enough, surprisingly so. He grinned at her, boyish excitement lighting his eyes. "What's up Babe?" she queried.

"A mystery! Alexis and Hayley traced McDonald back about twenty years and then - nothing. It was like before that he didn't exist and the McDonald identity was created from scratch. Kate, he could have been a spy, a mobster, anything!"

"Castle, that is in no way good news. It just expands our suspect pool," Kate pointed out, "to a mass of completely unknown subjects."

"Whoa! Debbie Downer! What's wrong Kate? This is more than frustration over a case."

"You're right, Castle," Kate admitted. "It's frustration with my job. Babe, I'm not a bureaucrat. Reviewing reports and trying to juggle vacation requests is not the highlight of my day."

"You know Kate, I know you never really believed me about the Beckett I met in the alternate universe, but she had the same problem," Castle offered. "You want justice and you don't feel like you're making it happen behind a desk. And like I told you before, you're a rocket. You're always looking to soar. So what now? Resign and throw yourself full time into your career change? Please don't tell me you want back on the streets. I don't think my heart could take that."

"Castle, the department wouldn't let me out there anyway. I'm still not medically cleared for anything except desk duty, and there's too much of that to go running around with the boys, even when they do clear me. I'll stick to the plan and if I can get into a decent law school, that will make the decision for me."

"Kate," Castle reminded her, "that's what you said about the captain's exam. You don't need to have decisions made for you. That's what your mother's death did. It drove you to be a cop. But that's over. It's done, Kate. Every last person responsible is gone. You don't need that anymore. I know you hate thinking about me as a sugar daddy, but Kate, you are my wife and I have money. That means we have money. You can do whatever you want. You just have to decide what it is. And that decision shouldn't be based on the results of an exam or an admissions department. It should be based on your heart's desire." Castle rose from his stool to put his arms around her. "I know you want to make the world a better place. Every move you've ever made shows it. You just have to decide how you want to do it. Whether you want to be president or run a legal aid center, I'll support any decision you make. You know that. Right?"

Kate snuggled against his chest."I know Castle. But right now the place I can do the most good is at the Twelfth, even shuffling paper to support what our people in the streets do. I was venting. As soon as the night school finds someone to replace McDonald, I'll go back. And when the time comes, I'll know where and how to move on."

Castle kissed the top of her head. "Good. Now that we've got that settled, chicken or beef?"

"What?"

"I'm making a stir fry. Chicken or beef?" Castle repeated. "Of course we could go really healthy and stick to the vegetables, but then I'd probably find myself abandoning you at midnight to raid the fridge."

"Babe, if you're going to put your mouth on something at midnight, you shouldn't have to leave our bed to do it," Kate purred, running a hand down his thigh.

"Alright then!" Castle responded enthusiastically. "Beef. Lots of hot, salty, beef."

Beckett's cell signaled a text just as she and Castle were loading the dishwasher. She frowned at the screen.

"You keep furrowing your brow like that and you're going to look like a sharpei," Castle teased.

"Castle, CSU pulled prints off the car our shooter used to get away."

"What am I missing?" Castle puzzled. "That's good, right?"

"Yeah it would be if they didn't belong to someone who supposedly died twenty years ago."

"Twenty years ago," Castle repeated. "McDonald appeared out of nowhere twenty years ago and now we have someone who died twenty years ago. Beckett, that can't be a coincidence!"

"You're right Castle. Something happened twenty years ago that set this whole case in motion. We just have to figure out what. Ryan and Esposito will be looking into our ghostly suspect in the morning. They're going to have to dig around in the archives."

"That's going to kick up Ryan's allergy to dust," Castle noted. "He should really invest in masks. Maybe I'll get him some. But back to our evening. What do you want to do now? More studying? Nebula Nine marathon? Ooh! I recorded Temptation Lane for you. We could delve into the finer points of soap skullduggery."

Kate ran the tip of her tongue over her lips. "Actually, I was thinking about getting back to the finer points of spring rolls, well, one particular spring roll."

"And this spring roll, are you going to heat it up?" Castle murmured huskily.

Kate palmed his crotch. "Castle, as hot as I can."

A/N Guest, interesting about the LSAT statistics regarding majors. I looked it up, and the LSAT is only half a day - certainly long enough. They give it in June which works well for the time line in this story. Maybe Kate might have done better with other majors, but she is who she is. Obviously she tests well or she wouldn't have gotten into Stuyvesant High School, a science oriented school, which has a difficult entrance exam, or had SATs high enough to get into Stanford. I doubt she would have problems with reading comprehension. If you register, we can talk more.


	4. Chapter 4

Life Goes On

Chapter 4

As the alarm went off on her phone, Kate snuggled defiantly deeper into Castle's arms. She wasn't looking forward to tackling whatever had landed on her desk overnight. But she was curious about the twenty-year old connection between McDonald and his killer. She imagined that Ryan and Esposito would be spending the whole or at least the better part of the day digging through banker's boxes. There was no way Alexis would let things go, either. Like Castle, she would dig until she got some kind of an answer. While she nursed her paper cuts, Kate would stay on top of all of it.

"Don't get up, stay in bed," Castle muttered, still caught in the hazy world on the edge of sleep.

Kate turned in his embrace to stroke his whisker roughened cheek. "Sorry Babe, duty calls. You stay in though, I'll make coffee."

Castle's lids slowly lifted. "No, you go ahead and catch your shower. I'll do it. After your very artful stimulation last night, I was dreaming some story ideas about why two people would vanish for twenty years. I want to get them down before they vanish back into the dreamscape."

Kate rose on her elbows. "Okay Babe, I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Castle caught a quick kiss before he edged his way toward the side of the bed. "Lookin' forward to it."

* * *

Kate inhaled the dark aromatic brew that was unique to Castle. "Babe, this is wonderful. So what popped out of your brain last night? Desperate criminal in Witsec? Spy who came in from the cold?"

Castle's brow met the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. "Criminal for the killer, maybe, but there's got to be more to it than that, something that would keep him going for twenty years. And McDonald? He was driven to do good, to help the innocent. He was atoning for something, We just have to figure out what. But I'm betting the clue is in the killer. If Ryan and Espo can get a line on him, we figure out who he'd go after and why."

"So are you going to stay in and write today?" Kate asked as Castle put out a plate of croissants and added a dish of strawberry preserves.

"I was planning on it. If Alexis or Hayley come up with anything interesting, they'll give me a call, I assume you will too," Castle added, "if Ryan and Esposito uncover anything juicy."

"I will Castle, or maybe I'll just call with something run-of-the-mill you can make juicy," Kate added winking.

"Ooh, I like the sound of that. I'm sure I can come up with something truly creative by the time you make it home tonight."

Kate flashed him a saucy smile. "I'm counting on it, Castle."

Kate entered the precinct to a whole new problem. The evening before, the mayor had made a remark that many took as accusing the N.Y.P.D. of racism, and as a result there had been a massive outbreak of the "blue flu." Esposito had stayed home and Ryan had joined him in sympathy. Both L.T. and Harrison were gone as were a number of the uniforms and about half her detectives. Kate scrambled to get the most vital positions covered. Priority went to things that were immediate threats, rather than to victims already dead. To make matters worse, an amber alert had been issued for Maury Richfield, a six year old who had disappeared from his parents' condo. That meant that every cop would have eyes out for the youngster and all tips on sightings would have to be investigated. Kate spent a good deal of the day on phone duty herself, so that her staff could remain in the field.

Much to Kate's relief, and that of much of the rest of the city, Maury was found before end of shift. He had heard his parents talking about swimming and had taken it upon himself to wander to a park where there was a municipal pool. Unfortunately he had gotten lost several times on the way there, not showing up until late in the afternoon. When he finally arrived without a parent, an alert recreation supervisor realized who he was and called the police. The boy was hungry, tired, and upset at not getting a chance to swim, but otherwise fine. The Richfields gave tearful thanks to the nearest microphone stuck in their faces and then retreated behind closed doors. Wonderful as that outcome was, Kate was still left with a serious staffing problem. She finally returned to the loft at midnight, leaving the lieutenant from robbery to hold the fort until morning.

Castle greeted her at the door and she laid her head wearily against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head beneath his chin. "Food, massage, or both?" he asked.

"Definitely both," she decided. "Food first, or I'll just fall asleep starving."

"I can make you a sandwich and rub your shoulders while you eat it," Castle suggested.

"That sounds wonderful, Castle. But did you get any rest?" Kate fretted. "You still need a lot of it."

Castle brushed the backs of two of his fingers against her cheekbone. "I love it when you worry about me. I caught a nap right after it was announced that Maury was all right. So I am recharged and ready to take care of my wife. Grilled cheese with grapes on the side, you can pop in your mouth with your fingers?"

"Mm," Kate sighed. "Sounds like heaven, especially if you do the thing with the butter."

"One artery clogging special coming up," Castle announced.

Kate savored the creamy crunch of her sandwich as Castle applied his strong fingers to the back of her neck. As he felt the knotted muscles release, he worked his way down to her shoulders. As he continued down her back, he followed the path of his hands with feather light kisses. Kate moaned. "Castle you keep doing that and I'm going to choke on this cheesy masterpiece of yours."

Castle raised his hands in surrender. "No Heimlichs necessary tonight. Dessert? You could dig into my secret stash of M&Ms®. That always gives you a boost."

Kate ate the last corner of her sandwich. "Castle right now, I don't need a boost, I need a bed, preferably with my favorite source of heat next to me."

"Sounds good. You go slip into something comfy and this radiant body will clean up and be right in, unless you were thinking of some other heat source. We do have that heated massage pillow you bought to keep you company last winter."

Kate closed her eyes and drew a shaky breath. "Castle, I wrapped one of your shirts I filched from your hamper around it so I could close my eyes and pretend it was you. I don't even want to think about that time. I couldn't stand being away from you like that again. Just be there with me, okay?"

Castle touched his lips to the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder, in a kiss that was anything but light. "Always."


	5. Chapter 5

Life Goes On

Chapter 5

Castle opened his eyes to find Kate staring at a text. "You're doing your sharpei look again. What's wrong?"

"It's from Lieutenant Wong, he says the 'blue flu' is still going strong, I'm still going to be missing half my cops, including Esposito and Ryan."

"Well maybe I can help pick up the slack," Castle suggested. "You never did give me the name that went with those prints."

Kate sighed "That's because I didn't want you going after any more killers, Babe. They wouldn't let you into the archives anyway."

Castle propped himself up on one elbow and gazed at his wife. "I don't need to go into the archives and I won't get near any vengeful gunmen," Castle promised. "I'll stick with the computer I won't even go to the P.I. office. I'll do it here. Look Kate, I have all the subscription services. You know that. If there was an article or a case reference to this guy twenty years ago or forty years ago, I can find it. And I'll be doing research for a book, which is my job. So just give me the guy's name."

Kate closed her eyes, drawing a slightly shaky breath. "Alright," she agreed grudgingly, "his name is Borman Greer. But Castle, if you find anything, you call me."

Castle raise a hand. "Swear on my mother's grave."

"Castle," Kate rebuked, "your mother is far from dead. She's the toast of Broadway."

"The grave she had when she played the crazy granny. No, seriously, Kate, I'll let you know. I'm just doing what I've always done, being your back-up, just without the need for my vest."

Kate framed her face in her hands. "Babe, I hope so."

* * *

Second cup of coffee at his side, Castle entered his password to Lexis-Nexis and searched for Borman Greer. There was an article reporting his death in a single automobile accident. The body had been too badly burned for proper identification, but the height and general characteristics had been consistent and the car had been registered to him, so a death certificate had been issued. "So Greer faked his death," Castle muttered. "I wonder who the poor bastard who really burned to death was. Maybe Dr. Death could figure it out," he mused.

Castle continued his search, going through legal records. Greer had been a suspect in several murders which had all the appearances of contract killings. Apparently, he had been very good at his job. There had never been enough evidence to convict him, but there had been enough to have his prints on file. He had been in the military and was an expert marksman. That certainly fit. Castle picked up his phone to call Kate. When his call went to voicemail, he sent her a text and an email and hoped that she'd have enough time to look at at least one of them. Swiping a hand across his eyes, he closed his search engine and brought up the text file for his newest story. He had a feeling it might be taking a very different turn.

* * *

Kate downed her third espresso, wishing for the third time that day she could make them as well as Castle did. She'd seen his text, but had no time to do anything about it. Emergencies were breaking out all over the city. The night had seen no decrease in racial tensions. If anything, things had become worse. With the decrease in police coverage, general crime was on the upswing and looters were taking advantage. 911 was overwhelmed, as was dispatch. Kate felt as though she had six balls in the air at once and if she looked away for even a second, they'd shatter against New York asphalt. She gulped her infusion of caffeine and hoped for the best.

* * *

Borman Greer, now Sidney Thompkins, examined himself in the mirror. If he gazed hard enough, he could see the Sidney he knew, the lover whose name he took. It had been twenty years since he'd assumed his new identity. Every day he put on a well tailored suit and made his way to the financial district to perform his job as an analyst. He was good at it. Sidney a had taught him a lot about the financial world. Sidney had taught him a lot about everything. Sidney was gone, but Borman had finally taken out the man who had taken Sidney from him. He wasn't sorry. He wasn't sorry at all. He had spent decades tracking the bastard who called himself McDonald. It had been a complete accident that an intern had left McDonald's picture from the Columbia website on his screen one morning. That face was twenty years older, but he would never forget the details. There was a tiny birth mark above one eyebrow, just like Sidney, and then the lips Borman remembered so well, the lips that still haunted his dreams. Well now those lips were gone from this earth, twice, but Borman felt no release, just an endless stream of empty days, made even more empty now that his revenge was complete.

* * *

Mayor Will DeBlaze stood in front of a crush of press, flanked by his African-American wife and four children. His wife squeezed his hand before he began his speech. "Three days ago I quoted to you statistics indicating that incidences of stop and frisk, as well as police shootings, fall disproportionately upon people of color. Those statistics are not a matter of opinion, they are fact. I am not sorry I quoted them. They are a problem that needs to be addressed. What I did not mean to imply is that those statistics are a result of racism on the part of the N.Y.P.D., or at least not primarily so. Like every organization, the N.Y.P.D has a few bad eggs who need to be rooted out, but I believe the majority of its members are not racist. They are, however, acting according to procedures established by one of my predecessors. I believe those procedures must be changed or abolished and I certainly hope they will be as quickly as possible. That's what my speech was meant to convey. I am deeply sorry that I so clearly missed the mark. However, this city has a more immediate problem. We are in a crisis that has put all our citizens in peril. That cannot continue. The onus is mine, and therefore the solution must be also. I am resigning as your mayor, effective immediately. My post will be filled by Lettie Jones, your public advocate, in accordance with the city charter. It is my fervent hope that we can come together as a city and put the actions of the last few days behind us. Let us all move into a safe and secure tomorrow. Any further questions may be directed to the Public Advocate's Office. Thank you, all. It has been an honor to serve you. With the press shouting questions after him, DeBlaze and his family left the podium and disappeared into a waiting car.

Castle gazed up at the TV screen in his office. "Son of a bitch! I wonder if Kate has seen this, and what the hell she's going to do about it."


	6. Chapter 6

Life Goes On

Chapter 6

Kate's cell began to ring before the reporter on the screen in the bullpen had finished with an unnecessary recap of what DeBlaze had said. Esposito was on his way in. Ryan would be joining him. She hoped that by beginning of shift tomorrow, the ranks would be back to something resembling normal levels. Phones continued to ring throughout the precinct, as looters and other perpetrators took advantage of the last few hours of disarray. But as DeBlaze had obviously hoped, with his exit, the chaos in the city was coming to a close.

Kate had always admired Letitia Jones. Letia had started as a local organizer. She launched programs to deal with whatever problems could be addressed in her own neighborhood: the dangerous and depressed South Bronx. In many ways Letitia reminded Kate of her own mother, even though she had none of Johanna's legal training. Letitia dealt with problems person to person, head on, cleaning up one little corner at a time. It was the kind of difference Kate had hoped to make at the A.G.'s office, until those hopes flamed out on the pyre of political expediency.

Kate made it back to the loft at eleven P.M., leaving a much more robust night shift to cope with whatever mayhem remained in the streets. Castle met her with a glass of red wine, to accompany late night steak and eggs. Over their meal, Kate reached for his hand as she swallowed a bite of barely seared rib eye. "Castle, this was just what I needed. Thank you. I wish you could share the wine."

Castle shrugged. "Soon. The doctor said in a couple more weeks if my liver function checked out all right, I could join you in your wicked ways, at least with a glass here and there. It's fine. Besides, right now you're the only intoxication I need. But there's a much more pressing question than my drinking habits, Kate. Are you going to do it?"

Kate regarded him in confusion. "Do what, Castle?"

Castle snorted. "Run to replace Leticia Jones as public advocate. We both know it's exactly the sort of chance you've been flailing around trying to find. To help people, to make the world a better place, it's what you've always wanted. It's a shame it had to happen this way. Will DeBlaze is a good man. He didn't deserve to take this hit anymore than Bob Weldon deserved to lose his chance to run for governor. DeBlaze had Letitia Jones' job before she did. But Letitia will be following his path to Gracie Mansion leaving a Kate Beckett sized hole to fill. The only question is, are you willing to try to fill it."

Kate chewed her lip, catching a taste of the coffee and spice rub Castle had used on her steak. "Okay Castle, I admit it occurred to me, and the idea is incredibly appealing. But a campaign like that is so much to put together so quickly. November is only a few months away. Could I really do that?"

"Kate, we could do that. This is a partnership. You have access to all my resources. I already have a PR organization. They know how to put your name out there and they'd do it because it would help the sales of the Nikki Heat books as well. We have a huge social media presence. I have all my city government contacts, including my poker buddies. They know how to put together a campaign. I'm betting Bill Weldon will even help. You'll have your brothers and sisters in blue behind you and I'll bet Alexis will do some campus organizing. She's always been enthusiastic about your political ambitions. That's a substantial base to build on, more than many candidates would ever have," Castle pointed out. "So again I'm asking, are you willing to give it a shot?"

Kate took a sip of wine, giving herself a few extra seconds to swirl things around in her brain, but the answer was already kicking her in the heart. "Yes Babe, more than willing. I can almost feel my mother standing behind me, cheering me on. And I know my father will just love the idea too." Kate slammed a flat palm on the table. "So yeah! Let's do it!"

Castle clinked his sparkling water against Kate's wine glass. "To the next public advocate of New York City." Their lips met across the table as Kate barely managed to put her wine down again. Kate settled back in her chair and took a forkful of egg, considering while she chewed. "Campaign plans aside, right now I'm still the captain of the Twelfth Precinct. "Castle, I passed your information onto Ryan and Espo and they'll put it together with whatever they find. Also, Lanie was able to dig up the medical examiner's file on our supposed Borman Greer. She's going to reach out to Dr. Murray. Lanie was looking at the possibility of exhumation. No family claimed the body at the time of death, so no one would be needed to sign off on it. He was buried in a potters field, like the other bodies no one takes responsibility for, so if Murray thinks an exhumation is worth pursuing, we'll have to verify the location. We should know within a day or two what direction we'll be going with that. How's your writing been going?"

Castle drew himself up in his chair. "Pretty well, actually," he announced. "I've been getting all kinds of ideas. I have three solid threads going right now and a bunch of other ideas on the side. But I'm thinking about something else too. Remember when Simon Doyle told us I was going to stop writing the kind of fiction I'm writing now and start writing literature?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Castle, he was a nut case."

Castle leaned across the table, stubbornly holding her gaze. "Kate, I'm not sure you're even convinced of that. I know I'm not, but whether he was what he said he was or not, his predictions have been on my mind for a long time. With your career moving out of the bullpen, the Nikki Heats will be coming to an end sooner or later and I'm certainly not in the market for another muse. Alexis and Hayley have pretty much taken over the P.I. office and in most cases they do it better than I do. But except for pushes like McDonald's murder, it's not the stuff of which thrillers are made. And I'm glad it isn't, Hayley can take care of herself, but I don't want Alexis in the line of fire and I don't think she wants to be there. Paris, 3XK, the whole LokSat affair were more than enough. But that means Richard Castle investigations won't be a font of inspiration either. So as you make whatever transition you end up making, whether it's public advocate or something else, I'll be transitioning too - or at least I'll try my best. In the alternate universe it didn't work out too well, but there I didn't have you. We can grow together. And our careers were not the only prediction Doyle made. There was the growth of our family too."

Kate held up a hand. "Castle that's a bit too much for one night, especially after the last couple of days. Let's see how things go and figure out where we're going to be, and then we can talk about it again. We'll know before the end of the year. How about November, after the election. Deal?"

"Deal," Castle agreed, tangling his fingers in her hair."But that doesn't mean we can't do practice runs, lots of practice runs."

"No it doesn't," Kate agreed, using her fingernail to trace a pattern on the warm flesh exposed by the vee of his shirt. "In fact, we could start one right now."


	7. Chapter 7

Life Goes On

Chapter 7

"Get down here, Kate," Lanie commanded. "And if you can get Castle over here, you should do that too. This is as much for him as it is for you." Curious, Kate pulled out her cell to call Castle, who was more than enthusiastic to meet her at the morgue.

The couple was greeted not only by Lanie Parish but by Clark Murray. The remains on the table were mostly bones and appeared to have been that way for a long time. "We pulverized part of the bone and extracted DNA," Murray explained. "It was a long shot, but with some very surprising results. This body shares all the marker alleles we checked, in common with the body of the person known as Edgar McDonald."

"So they were brothers?" Kate asked.

"Not just brothers, identical twins," a grinning Castle interjected before Murray could respond. "Oh this is just getting better and better."

"So years ago, a hitman named Borman Greer faked his own death, substituting the body of the twin brother of our current victim," Kate recapitulated.

"That would appear to be the case," Murray agreed.

"It still makes no sense as to why twenty years later, Greer would take out McDonald," Kate puzzled. "His deception had gone undetected. If he'd left McDonald alone, no one would have been the wiser."

"There is more," Murray added. "This body was not killed in the car fire. We found a bullet in the remains. But even had the victim not been killed by the bullet, he would not have lived long, and the time he lived would have been extremely painful. He had extensive bone cancer, quite possibly the result of metastases from another organ. There wasn't enough tissue left to make that determination."

"So are you saying that the body in the car was actually a mercy killing?" Castle queried.

"I'm not saying that, but it is a possibility," Murray conceded. "With that degree of suffering, someone could have loved him enough to feel he had to end it."

"Someone like a twin brother," Castle proposed. "Who would feel his pain more? So we have twins, one of whom was killed and the other of whom disappeared twenty years ago. That is too good a story for someone not to have written it down somewhere. And who better to find it than a mystery writer extraordinaire?"

Lanie rolled her eyes and shook her head, but Kate put an affectionate hand on Castle's arm. "You want to go back to the loft and try? Have at it Babe. I'm going to have the boys see if they can find more killings that point to Greer's M.O.. Even if he's assumed a new identity, we may be able to track him down that way. And I have a meeting with Gates down at 1PP. See you later?"

"I'll be counting the minutes," Castle replied.

Lanie smiled in spite of herself. "You two are still so cute."

* * *

Feet on his desk, Castle balanced his laptop across his thighs. "There you are!" he triumphantly addressed the screen. The twenty-year old article in _Strange Occurrences_ outlined the mysterious case of two twins, the Thompkins brothers. One, Sidney, had been a rocket on Wall Street, showing genius in predicting the future values of stocks. His brother, Donald, was a criminal attorney, showing an equal level of burgeoning talent at freeing criminals, against whom the police had believed they had an airtight case. It was assumed, but never proven, that Donald had been on retainer for the mob. Sidney's star crashed when he developed what was at the time intractable cancer. Donald gave up his practice to care for his brother, until one day Sidney was found shot dead and Donald disappeared. Sidney's body, which had been taken to a mortuary, disappeared as well, and nothing further was ever heard of the brothers. It was rumored that Sidney had a lover among Donald's criminal acquaintances, but gossip about that ceased when the Thompkins brothers dropped from the radar. There had also been some speculation that Donald had been taken out because of some inside information he had on the mob and that Sidney had been killed because he knew about it, but there had had been no evidence to support that theory.

Castle brought up a new search window, entering the missing Donald Thompkins. There were millions of entries, but none he saw that made sense with Castle's law or crime keywords Sighing, Castle switched to searching for Sidney Thompkins, using financial terms. Castle's quarry appeared immediately on LinkedIn as Sidney Thompkins, analyst. This Sidney's talents were nothing close to those of the original, and he was about twenty years older. On a hunch, Castle brought up a photo of Borman Greer and used a program to age it twenty years. Suddenly, he was looking at a close facsimile of the image of the current Sidney Thompkins. His laptop almost tumbled from his lap in his rush to call Kate.

* * *

Kate faced the man now known as Sidney Thompkins and his attorney, across the table in Interrogation. Castle sat on her right and Ryan and Esposito were to her left. She stared directly into her suspect's eyes."Mr. Greer, or Mr. Thompkins if you prefer, you murdered the man known as Edgar McDonald," Kate declared. "We found the clothes you wore and the gun you used, in your apartment. Ballistics matched the bullet. The only way you can possibly help yourself now is to explain why you did it, so we can can try to make the D.A. understand. Otherwise, there is absolutely no doubt that you will be going to prison for the rest of your life, with no hope of parole. Just be grateful that New York has no death penalty. Counselor, I'm sure you can confirm that for your client."

Greer whispered a short conversation with his attorney before turning back to Kate. "The man you refer to as Edgar McDonald was Donald Thompkins, twin brother of Sidney Thompkins," he began.

Castle clenched his fist to keep from exclaiming, "Yes!"

"Sidney and I were - close," Greer continued. "Sidney got sick, he was in agony. He kept saying he wanted to die, begging me to help him. He begged Donald too, every day. But I could never believe Sidney really wanted to die. There was research going on every day and his doctor was going to put him in a study for a new drug. I believed – I hoped – that Sidney could hold out just a little longer until there was a way to cure him. Then one day Sidney was shot dead and Donald was gone. I knew Donald had given in and killed him. So I took Sidney's identity and I swore to hunt his killer down. Donald killed his own brother. He took away the only person I've ever loved, and when I finally found him I put him down for it. All I did was kill a murderer."

* * *

When Greer had been taken to holding, Kate led Castle back to her office and closed the door. They sank down on the couch together and she rested her head against his shoulder. "You know Castle, I hate to admit how well I understand what Greer did. I hunted my mother's killer and every other killer as proxy, for so many years. I was a hair away from killing William Bracken. Then when I thought I was done, the obsession grabbed me again and it almost killed us both. To me, twenty years doesn't seem so long to wait for closure. I could easily see waiting a lifetime."

Castle drew her close. "But Kate, you do have closure. Bracken, Mason. Brown, all of the Loksat group, they're gone. We both have a whole life in front of us. We just have to live it."

Kate turned beneath his arm, cupping the back of his neck and bringing her lips close to his. "Castle, that's exactly what we're going to do." She gazed back at her office door. "I just hope I remembered to lock that thing."


	8. Chapter 8

Life Goes On

Chapter 8

The Kate Beckett for Public Advocate kick off party was in full swing at the loft. Bob Weldon held court telling mayoral campaign stories. Martha belted out a song while her latest beau tinkled the keys of the grand piano and Alexis manned a table where she shamelessly collected and recorded contributions, rewarding check writers with huge buttons bearing the image of Kate Beckett. Kate was in conversation with Victoria Gates and her sister, the Attorney General for the Southern District. The only one who seemed to be missing was Castle.

Paula Haas backed Castle up against a wall in the hall outside the loft. "Have your lost your mind?" she demanded. "Serious literature? Rick, I have news for you, no matter how the critics gush, no one buys that stuff except English teachers and ladies book clubs. You need grit and sex, not Pulitzers, my friend."

Castle put his hands on the shoulders of his irate agent. "Paula, relax. I still have another Nikki Heat coming and the Derrick Storm books and graphic novels are doing great. You know I have an option from a streaming service for a Derrick Storm series, and the Chick Flick Channel wants to do a series of movies based on Nikki Heat. But I'm not going to be following Kate around on murder investigations anymore, even if she loses the election. I want to try something different. And I am hoping that when the time comes, you'll use your massive skills to get me an audience. I know you can do it. You could sell snow shoes in Hawaii."

Paula ran a hand over the her jet black hair and pulled out a compact to refresh her lipstick. "Alright Rick, what's this new book going to be about, anyway?"

"It's a character study," Rick replied. "It's about a boy who's been traumatized, and how he tries to put his life together as he grows up."

Paula nodded. "Uh huh. Rick you could save a lot of trouble by just calling it an autobiography. Just your beautiful face on the cover would sell that and it's more beautiful than it's been in a while. Getting shot looks great on you. What did you lose, twenty-five pounds?"

"More than that," Castle admitted. "I think last time I was down this low was 2010. But don't even think about putting out The Castle Diet. It's not exactly a technique I'd recommend. Too much pain, too little booze. And the book's not going to be an autobiography. I'm using my experiences as a jumping off point. What writer doesn't? But I want it to be more than that. I'm looking for real insight into the human condition."

Paula smacked a hand against her forehead. "Alright Rick, I'll go along with this, especially since Black Pawn doesn't do literature and I won't have to work with Gina. That ex of yours really gets on my nerves. But listen old friend, if the income stream starts flagging, I want you to come up with something with blood and bullets, not touchy feely. Do we understand each other?"

"Loud and clear," Castle acknowledged. "Can we go back in now? I have to make the rounds of Kate's potential benefactors."

"Sure Rick," Paula allowed. "Different experience for you, getting people to write checks, instead of signing chests. I just hope it works out."

Back in the loft, Castle moved smoothly from group to group, holding a glass of seltzer with a slice of lime and a swizzle stick in it and laughing at every joke, no matter how many times he'd heard it. As nine P.M. became midnight, he retired behind the closed door of his bedroom to rest, sitting on the edge of the bed. Martha knocked softly and sat beside him. "Howya doin' kiddo?"

"Fine. I think I've pressed every hand that could be pressed and signed anything anyone wanted signed. Paula gave me a hard time earlier. I just wanted a minute to get my thoughts together."

"Thoughts about what, exactly?" Martha asked.

"The future," Castle confessed. "I know everyone likes to think of me as the eternal child, but I'm not getting any younger."

"You are a mere babe," Martha protested. "Look at me. I'm running on my second wind and my future's never looked brighter. Your wife looks to be embarking on a new career, one that involves a lot fewer bullets flying. What's the problem?"

"Alexis is twenty-two. In a few years she will probably be married and thinking about kids of her own. Kate doesn't even want to talk about having kids until after the election. Then if she decides she wants to, who knows how long it will take? I may have lost a lot of my liver when we got shot, but it's almost grown back now. Kate's bullet took out a tube and an ovary. Those won't grow back. The doctor said she could still conceive, but the chances have been cut by at least half. By the time we have our kids, if we have our kids, they may end up younger than my grandchildren. Will I even live to see them in college or get married?"

"Rick, we're not living in the 1960's," Martha admonished. "If Kate does want to have children and has trouble conceiving, there are lots of alternatives. You know that. It will all work out. Don't agonize about the future. It won't buy you a damn thing anyway. Better to live in the now, my boy. Your beautiful ambitious Katherine is reaching for the stars and you're helping her grasp them. Everything else will fall into place. You'll see."

Rick squeezed Martha's hand. "Yeah Mother, you're right. I should get back out there. That crowd has been sucking up my alcohol all night. I should be able to squeeze a few more bucks out of them."

"That's the spirit!" Martha proclaimed. "The fine old Rodgers family carny tradition. Never give a sucker an even break and always make them pay for the free drinks."

Martha stuck her hand into the crook of Castle's elbow and they strolled back to the gathering together.

* * *

At two A.M., Kate shed her filmy cover-up and climbed into bed next to Castle, who was staring at the city lights glinting off the shell display on the bedroom wall. "Alexis said we did great tonight, Babe. We have our mailings paid for, and our posters and yard signs. And Paula said she could set me up for interviews on three of the local newscasts. Weldon said he thinks it looks really good for us." Kate stroked the smooth silk of her teddy with her fingertips. "You weren't thinking about the election. So what were you thinking about while I was slipping into this little number? Something to do with the shells?"

"Not the shells, but the Hamptons where we gathered them," Castle confided. "Despite the reason, the time we spent out there, just you and me, that was some of the happiest time I can ever remember in my life. I never want to lose you, Kate. Whatever happens, with the election, with our lives, the most important thing is that I have you by my side. As long as we never let anything push us apart again, the rest of the world can never defeat us."

Kate snuggled into his side and kissed the warm skin of his shoulder. "Castle, I'm not going anywhere without you."


	9. Chapter 9

Life Goes On

Chapter 9

The blinds on the door of Kate's office rattled slightly as Esposito knocked. Shoving a stack of paper aside, Kate called for him to come in. "A new body drop?" she inquired.

Esposito shook his head. "Nothing like that, Captain. More like a public advocate problem."

"Javi, It's only September. The election isn't even for a couple of months yet and there's no guaranteeing I'll get in," Kate reminded him. "What can I do?"

The Latino cop shrugged. "I don't know, Beckett. I'm thinking you've met all the right people. Maybe you can whisper in a few ears. My cousin Julio, he lives in one of those rent controlled buildings just on the edge of Spanish Harlem. The developers are buying them up so they can tear 'em apart and make 'em into condos. Those sharks have gone after Julio's building, but they're not allowed to do anything until they can can get all the tenants to move out. Julio says there's no way that's happening. The building's never been perfect. They have rats and mega roaches and half the time the hot water doesn't work. But buildings have problems like that all over the city. Hell, they have rats on the Upper East Side."

"I can testify to that, in more ways than one," Kate agreed. "So what? The developers are using some kind of coercion to get your cousin and the other tenants to move?"

"One developer, guy name of Burgess Estes, and more than just coercion," Esposito explained. "I mean he tried all the usual tricks those guys pull, refusing to make repairs, garbage in the hallways, cutting off the heat, but Julio and his neighbors, they stood firm. They fixed and cleaned the place up themselves. But now he's hired some kinda thugs. One tenant got his teeth knocked out. Another one has a broken arm. The worst of it is an old lady, Estelle Rivera, she's lived there fifty years. Her kids were born there. Her husband died there. She had to take the stairs to the fourth floor 'cause the elevator broke and someone pushed her down. She got a broken hip and a broken wrist. Even her glasses were trashed."

"Espo, if people are being attacked, that's a matter for the local precinct. Isn't that the Twenty-fifth's jurisdiction? Has Julio gone to them?"

"Every week," Esposito snorted, "the looie up there, Van Dyke, she's pretty good. When he first started calling, she sent people out every time. But the Captain, Nicholson, he's fucked up. Won't even let a unit near Julio's place."

I know Nicholson," Kate nodded. "He was a couple of years ahead of me in the academy. He is kind of a douche. But he's never been his own man. If someone is pulling the strings on this, it's not likely to be him. It's probably someone at 1PP. I'll see what I can find out."

Esposito bobbed his head and backed toward the door. "Thanks, Captain."

* * *

Kate slid into a booth at Remy's across from Victoria Gates. Gates pointed with her reading glasses."So Kate, you're already getting into the advocacy fray."

"Not so much, as into your area of expertise, Sir. I believe someone may being encouraging Nicholson to turn a blind eye to just the sort of attacks on our citizens, he should be concentrating on stopping. I was wondering if you might have any suspicions as to who might be behind it all."

Gates brow lowered as she pursed her heavily reddened lips. "Suspicions, yes, but so far that's all. If I had any more, I'd be hauling their ass up on charges. You know that, Kate. But you have given me a lot more to go on, so I'll see what I can do for the future Advocate. So how's your campaign going?"

"Ir's tough, Sir" Kate admitted. "You know better than anyone just how stacked up things can get at The Twelfth, and trying to put things back together after the racism divide isn't making anything easier. I don't have a whole lot of time left after that. But Castle and his whole family are being a tremendous help. My family is too. My father's been approaching some of my mother's old civil rights contacts, my cousin Sofia and even my Aunt Theresa are are out there stumping for me. I just really hate doing all the interviews. I feel like I'm bragging or something. It's awkward."

"I would think that husband of yours could give you some pointers on that," Gates suggested. "He's certainly never had any trouble tooting his own horn."

Kate twisted her wedding band and fingered a matching circlet on her wrist. "That's just the class clown persona he likes to project. It took me years to figure it out, too many years, but that's not really him. That's just the lonely little boy Martha dumped in too many schools, laughing at himself before the other kids could laugh at him. Gina, his ex-wife publisher, exploited that funny kid and so has Paula his agent. I think he got so used to playing the part, that for a long time he barely knew where Ricky on a sugar rush left off and Richard Castle began. But you'd be surprised what's behind all that."

"No I wouldn't, Kate. I watched him move heaven and earth for his daughter and for you. He went where few men would ever go to get you off that bomb and to rescue you from 3XK. He annoys the hell out of me sometimes, but I know there's quite a man under all that foolishness. Still, he does put on a very good show," Gates insisted, "and he could definitely give you some pointers. Remembering to bring your cape when you play Wonder Woman won't hurt, especially since you do have the history to back it up."

"You're right," Kate conceded. "Actually Martha's been trying to run me through some exercises to develop stage presence, but I'll see what Castle has to say about it." A waitress arrived to take their order and Kate gazed up at her hungrily. "I need a strawberry shake. I definitely need a strawberry shake."

* * *

Castle took a sip from a quarter glass of the red wine he was sharing with Kate. "So the old stage fright is rearing it's ugly head again. I thought Mother was helping you with that."

"She is, Castle," Kate confirmed. "She's taught me how to use the yoga breathing I already knew, to relax in front of an audience or a camera. But it's just the talking about myself I can't handle. I hate that."

Castle smiled wryly as he caressed her cheek. "That's nothing new Kate. It's always been one of the most fascinating but infuriating things about you. But let me give you my best advice from my long experience in shameless self promotion. It's not yourself you're pushing. It's not about your own personal hopes, dreams, and nightmares. You don't have to share those unless you want to. What you are really plugging is the work. In my case, that's been my books. In yours, it's your history of bringing justice to this city and this country. That's not a boast or a campaign promise. It's a matter of public record. All you need to communicate is your passion to keep on doing what you have been doing, only on a bigger stage. That's all they have to know. But," Castle added, "twisting a lock of her hair around his finger, "if you can add a funny story or two. So much the better. I can even write you a couple. All you'll need to do is tell them. The voters will eat it up."

"Are you sure, Castle?" Kate asked doubtfully.

Kate gasped as Castle thrust his hand beneath her skirt to thumb her most sensitive spot. "Kate, if there's anyone who's an authority on how delicious you are, it's me."


	10. Chapter 10

Life Goes On

Chapter 10

It was all hands on deck for the N.Y.P.D.. One of their own had fallen. To be sure, Captain Nicholson was found in the hallway outside an apartment of a woman not his wife, but so far, that little detail had been kept out of the press. What mattered was that a police officer had been shot down, apparently in cold blood.

Kate was not sure whether to be upset or pleased the shooting had taken place in her jurisdiction. Esposito was in no hurry to solve it, except for pinning a medal on the perpetrator. Kate imagined that a successful closing of the case would raise her profile, but she wasn't sure it would help much with public perception to solve the murder of a dirty cop. Of course the public didn't know he was dirty, and neither did she for sure, but he certainly was no blue saint. She charged Ryan with keeping Esposito in line, then arranged another conversation with Deputy Chief Gates. This time she invited Castle, hoping his quirky point of view would be helpful.

* * *

Gates' eyes narrowed at Castle's presence, but she didn't request that he leave, as she and Kate met at Casa Loco. "So what can you tell me about Nicholson?" Kate asked, immediately getting to the point.

"Almost no one at 1PP cared for his style," Gates began, "but there is one..." She stopped abruptly when the waiter put chips and salsa on the table and asked for their drink orders. After a quick request for iced teas all around, Gates continued. "There is one of the Chief's aides, Corlin Dickinsen, who goes back a long time with Nicholson. They were kids together at P.S. 117. The interesting thing is Dickinsen went to Hudson University with Burgess Estes."

Castle paused midway through dipping a chip into the salsa. "That is interesting."

"So are you saying that Corlin Dickinsen had something going with Estes and used Nicholson to protect him while he menaced tenants?" Kate questioned.

"I'm not saying it yet, Kate," Gates cautioned. "We have no evidence of it and at the moment it doesn't get us any closer to solving Nicholson's murder, which should be our first priority."

"Not if you ask Esposito," Castle commented. Gates glared at him and he stuffed another chip in his mouth.

"So where are you with the murder?" Gates prompted.

"We had CSU sweep the hallway and the apartment near where Nicholson was killed. Nicholson's DNA was all over the apartment. He apparently spent a lot of time there. The woman who lives there, Kiki Harkness, is in the wind. She's a barmaid at the Rubicon, but she hasn't shown up for work. We checked her address book, but none of her friends know where she is. Nothing has shown up on her financials and she doesn't own a car, so we can't track it," Kate explained.

"Lot of cash tips at the Rubicon," Castle commented. "She could've had a stash. That would make for good getaway money"

"CSU did find something," Kate continued. "There was fabric softener on the floor in the hallway and there was a trail to the elevator leading to the laundry room. We think the killer might have been hiding down there, possibly until he got a signal of some sort from Kiki, that Nicholson would be leaving. So far, we haven't found any way she might have sent it. She doesn't have a land line and if she has a cell phone, it's a burner."

Did they sweep the apartment for bugs?" Castle asked. "Maybe Kiki didn't have to send a signal. Maybe she had nothing to do with it. The killer was listening, took Nicholson out and she took off because she was scared."

"I'll have CSU check for listening devices, Castle," Kate responded, pulling out her cell phone.

Gates shook her head. "Mr. Castle, following your reasoning, if you actually have any, assuming Kiki knew nothing about the hit on Nicholson, why would she keep all that cash around?"

Castle rolled his lips, raspberry-like, blowing a blast of salsa tinged air in Gates' face. "Taxes, obviously. The IRS would assume she earned tips anyway, but not necessarily at the level she did. If her endowments were generous enough and her outfit creative enough, which I recall the ones at the Rubicon are, she could have stuffed a lot in her cleavage before her shifts were over. But putting the money in the bank creates a record. So she would keep the cash around and use it whenever she could. She could have just grabbed it and taken off."

"Vikram is going over subway footage, and Ryan is checking cabs," Kate put in. "She had to get away somehow." Kate displayed a picture on her phone of a woman who would have been memorable, especially to the male population. "Someone will remember seeing her."

"How about Hytch?" Castle suggested.

"No one signed up with them has admitted to picking her up so far," Kate replied, "but if it was a cash transaction, they could be lying. I'll have our people go over the local list again."

The server arrived with the iced teas and took their orders. Gates' eyes followed him away from the table, making sure he was out of earshot. "Kate, you continue to keep a lid on this as much as you can. However it comes out, the N.Y.P.D. isn't going to look good. Let's try to keep the stain as small as possible."

"I will sir," Kate agreed. "But all my people will follow the evidence wherever it leads, no matter who is dirty."

"I would never expect anything else," Gates declared.

* * *

Dragging in from the precinct, Kate found Castle hunched over his computer. "Writing, Babe?"

"I was. But listen. I'm sure your people are looking into him, but something about Corlin Dickinsen kept nagging at me," Castle confided, "so I looked him up and I recognized him instantly. He used to work for Donovan, the IAD cop who took over when Gates came to the Twelfth. He was one of the cops who grilled me when you were on the run after you were framed for Vulcan Simmons' murder. Remember we thought Donovan was dirty, but we could never prove it and you were too busy nailing Bracken to care. So maybe Donovan wasn't dirty. Gates never found anything on him. Maybe it was Dickensen. Maybe he just likes collecting scratch from whomever he can and when Bracken went down, he looked for someone else to grease his palm, like his old school chum Burgess Estes. They pegged Nicholson as an easy puppet, but when he was in danger of exposure, they decided to get rid of him."

Kate put her arms around her husband's neck. "It's a great story, Castle, but I have yet to hear one iota of proof."

"Yeah, well take a look at this."

Kate regarded the screen. "A beach house. That things's almost as big as yours! Where would a cop get that kind of money and why wouldn't anyone know about it?"

"Because it's not in his name," Castle explained. "It's actually in the name of Corlin's Aunt Sadie. But Aunt Sadie is ninety-six and lives in a one bedroom supported living condo in Florida. She probably has no idea she owns a manse. And look at the Google satellite photo. If you zoom in you can see the car parked on the very lovely circular drive in front of the house. That's an Audi A4. And guess who owns an Audi A4?"

"Corlin Dickensen?" Kate guessed.

Castle pulled her down into his lap. "Give the lady a cigar."

Kate felt a familiar hardness growing beneath her. She smoothed Castle's hair off his forehead and framed his face in her hands. "Castle, I think you're just about to."

Castle ran his fingers up the soft skin inside her thigh. "Then Detective Beckett, let's make the smoke rise."


	11. Chapter 11

Life Goes On

Chapter 11

Castle pushed out of his chair, still holding Kate in his arms. She gently squeezed his bicep. "You really have gotten your strength back, haven't you?"

"Mostly," Castle agreed. "My physical terrorist says I could still have more flexibility in my chest. We're going to keep at it. But everything important works."

"It certainly does," Kate confirmed saucily, as he carried her to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed with her across his lap.

"Now I just have to find that humidor," he whispered, air rasping through the tightness in his throat.

Kate twisted to straddle him, rubbing her growing excitement against his burgeoning heat. "I'm pretty sure it's just where you left it."

Breath hissed from Kate's lungs as he fingered her through the fabric of the slacks she wore. "Uh huh, I believe it's right under here. Just have to get a few things out of the way." He reached for her zipper, but she grabbed it first, yanking it down and rising just enough to push the offending garment to the floor. The satiny bikini brief underneath was damp with want. Castle slipped his hands beneath the waistband, his palms framing her hips as he pushed the unwanted barrier to join its companion.

"Castle," Kate urged, writhing against him with growing urgency.

His thumb found the center of her demand, but her need just grew stronger under his touch. She tore at the drawstring of the sweatpants he wore, cursing at a knot. "Shh, take it easy Kate. We have all night," he counseled.

Taking it easy was the last thing, on what remained of Kate's mind. She raked at the cord with her fingernails, pulling it free and pushing the pants down. Heated flesh met her questing fingers. "You went commando."

"I wasn't going anywhere, Kate, except where I'm headed now."

She moaned as he used two fingers to prepare the way, finding her slick and ready. He pulled her against him, their joining smooth, simultaneously a relief and another notch in the level of their desire. Their mouths collided, tongues reaching, twining, and reaching again. Even as they moved, Castle pulled at Kate's blouse while she yanked at his shirt. Her breasts pressed tightly against his chest, deliriously aware of every springy curl of the sprinkling of hair roughly interrupted by his scar. Kate grasped the back of his neck, forcing their mouths still closer. She could barely breathe, but her oxygen starved lungs didn't care. All that mattered was the clawing need, forcing every muscle in her body to its will.

As Kate's sheath tightened around Castle, she could feel him jerk in response. He was almost to the edge of the cliff, dragging her willingly in his wake. Inwardly, she grasped him tighter still, until with soul shaking shudders, they plunged over together, landing on the wood floor with their mangled clothing beneath them.

Castle gulped air. "That was..."

"I know," Kate panted. "I think I'll just stay here for a while. I don't think my legs are working."

Castle reached up and dragged the comforter from the bed to cover them. They fell asleep where they lay.

Castle couldn't figure out what seemed to be making painful imprints on his back until he realized it was the buttons popped from the shirt Kate had ripped off him. When was that? Minutes ago? Hours? He still wore his watch and gazed at the glowing dial. Two A.M. He tried to move, but Kate still covered his body, snuffling softly against his chest. He didn't want to wake her, but the floor was growing both harder and colder by the second and muscles which had been ecstatically loose were beginning to tighten. He stroked the wild strands of hair splayed out across his chest. "Kate," he murmured softly.

"Castle, go back to sleep," she protested without stirring.

He ran his index finger down her bare spine. "I'd like to, Kate, but in the bed, not next to it."

Kate raised her head then grabbed his wrist to check the time for herself. "Oh my God, Castle. We've been down here for hours. That's never happened before."

"Well I'm always open to something new, Kate, but I think I'm about twenty-five years past actually being comfortable sleeping on a bare floor. And even then, there had to be considerable beer involved. So how about if we cuddle up in the comfort of our thousand thread count sheets," Castle proposed.

Kate rolled off him and they grabbed the comforter, spreading it over the bed together, without any need for spoken words. They both climbed in and Kate snuggled against his side. Castle you've never had any trouble turning me on, but that was whole a new level. I think the loft could have caught fire and it wouldn't have mattered."

"Kate, I think it very nearly did, but it is gratifying to know there are still new mountains to climb. And I will be happy to scale them with you anytime, as often as possible."

Kate sighed. "Well I have a much less pleasant hill to tackle in a few hours. I need to figure out how to go at Dickenson."

Castle kissed her thoroughly mussed hair. "You will. You always do. Of course you could send Espo after him, but then you might be mopping up some blood and picking up a few teeth."

"Not to mention needing to find a way to keep Javi out of jail. No I think I'll have to be a little more subtle than that."

"Well you sleep on it," Castle urged. "Something will come to you."

What came, was in the form of a seven A.M. phone call from Ryan. Kate reached for her cell, which was still in the pocket of her pants, on the floor. "Captain, Kiki Harkness must have run out of cash. She used a credit card to check into a motel in Brooklyn last night. Unis are bringing her in now. I thought you might want to be in on the interview."

Kate swiped a hand across her morning gritty eyes. "Thanks Ryan, I do. I should be there in half an hour."

Kate started for the bathroom for a hot, if brief, shower.

"No rest for the wicked, hmm?" Castle teased.

"Castle when I get back tonight, I just might take a shot at giving you an encore demonstration of just how wicked I can be."

Castle's eyes raked over the velvety flesh embracing the firm and agile muscle beneath. "I'll be able to think of nothing else all day - except maybe coffee,"

"O yeah! Castle, I could definitely use some of that."

"You let the water kiss that magnificent temple you call a body and I'll have it ready by the time you're dressed," Castle offered, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "And I have some chocolate brioche I can heat up too."

Kate scurried back to the bed to give him a quick kiss. "Castle how did I ever manage to survive without you?"

Castle grinned up at her. "Mrs. Castle, I have absolutely no idea."

A/N Credit where credit is due, I stole the phrase "physical terrorist," from James Brady, Ronald Reagan's former press secretary after whom the Brady Bill was named. Any physical therapist I've worked with has been great. No terror at all. Hoping Nathan has a super one to work on his shoulder.


	12. Chapter 12

Life Goes On

Chapter 12

Kiki Harkness had everything it took to get men to lay their money on the bar. Her cup size would have easily qualified her for Hooters. Her hips were generous and well rounded and her hair was long and streaked with magenta and silver. She shifted, vainly attempting to find some comfort in the hard chair across the table from Kate in Interrogation. "I didn't kill Nicky!" she protested, in a voice much more Brooklyn schoolyard, than the kittenish purr Kate had expected.

"We know you didn't, Kiki," Kate soothed. "And I understand that you're frightened. Anyone would be in your circumstances. But I need you to tell me everything you can about what happened before Captain Nicholson was killed."

"Frightened?" Kiki retorted. "More like scared shitless. But anyway Nicky picked me up at work. I clean up after the bar closes, so I wasn't ready to go until about two-thirty. Then we went back to my place and - you know. Usually he sleeps after that, you know like men do, but he was nervous. He got up and started pacing around. Finally he called a guy. I couldn't hear much. He was on his cell and he didn't have the speaker on, but it sounded like the guy on the other end was really pissed off, maybe because Nicky called him so early in the morning, I don't know. But they talked for a while, then Nicky told the guy he was out. After that he calmed down and came back to bed. We slept late. I mean I always do, the hours I work, but I guess he must have been off that day or something. We were both out like a light. So he got up when I did. And my apartment had a strange smell in it. I asked him if he was using a new cologne or something, but he said he wasn't and he looked kinda scared. He usually doesn't drink 'til later. I don't drink at all. I see too many drunk jerks at work, you know. But Nicky keeps - I mean he kept - a bottle and some beers at my place. Then he had a beer and two shots and tried to call someone. It might have been the guy he was talking to before, I don't know, but he didn't get him. Then he said he had to leave, and the next thing I know, I hear a shot. I was so scared I couldn't move. It must have taken me a couple of minutes, but then I looked out in the hall and Nicky was lying there. I felt for a pulse and I couldn't find one. He wasn't breathing either and there was all that blood. I knew he was dead and I figured whoever shot Nicky might try to come after me, so I grabbed whatever I could and got out of there. I just kept moving until your guys found me."

"Did Captain Nicholson mention any names, anyone who worried him or he might have been afraid of?" Beckett inquired.

Kiki chewed on the end of her finger."Well maybe. The guy he was talking to on the phone, he called him something sounded a little a little like dickhead the way he said it, but I don't think it was."

"Could it have been Dickenson?" Kate questioned.

Kiki nodded slowly. "Yeah, that sounds right."

Kate offered her hand. "Thank you, Kiki, you've been very helpful. I'll have some officers drive you home. I doubt that you were the target but I'll put someone outside your apartment just in case. You should be fine."

"Thanks Captain Beckett," Kiki responded. "That's a load off. Do you think you'll catch the asshole who killed Nicky soon?"

"We will follow every lead as fast as we can," Kate assured her.

Kate met with Ryan and Esposito, both of whom had been watching from Observation. "CSU found a bug in Kiki's apartment," Esposito offered. "Good call, Captain."

"Actually that was Castle," Kate admitted. "I'll bet it was planted while Kiki and Nicholson were sleeping after Nicholson's argument with Dickenson. The cologne Kiki smelled must have been from whomever planted it. Were there any prints on it?"

"Nothing," Ryan responded. "Whoever it was must have worn gloves. The only prints in the apartment were from Kiki and Nicholson. There was some DNA though that wasn't Nicholson's and couldn't have been Kiki's. CSU said it was male and from a sneeze. No match in the system."

"So our killer has a cold?" Kate wondered.

"Or allergies." Ryan put in.

"Well either way, it my be helpful," Kate mused. "I have a progress meeting at 1PP this afternoon. Mandatory attendance for all the paper pushers down there. If Dickinson shows up with a red nose, I'll see it. With any luck, maybe I can snag a tissue for a DNA match, or maybe I can even get Gates to do it."

"That I'd like to see," Esposito grinned. "Good luck Captain."

* * *

The conference room at 1PP was huge, and needed to be. The Commissioner sat at the head of the table, surrounded by the Chief, Deputy Chief Victoria Gates, The Chief of Detectives and all the various aides including Corlin Dickinson, who smelled faintly of eucalyptus, reminding Kate of a nose inhaler. She wondered if that was what Kiki smelled. The precinct captains occupied positions much further away, except for Kate who was required to present to the assemblage. She was as circumspect as she could be, due to the presence of Dickenson, omitting what Kiki had said about the cologne and the name she had heard on the phone. She also failed to include the report on the DNA from the sneeze.

Dickenson's nose showed a faint glow, but he used no tissues, preferring a handkerchief which he shoved back in his pocket. He was sipping on a mug of hot tea, which he left on the table to be cleaned up after the meeting. Kate deliberately left her blazer on the back of her chair and making an excuse that she had to retrieve it, she deftly used an evidence bag from her pocket to capture Dickenson's cup and shoving it in her purse, transported it directly to the lab.

* * *

Burgess Estes was worried. Taking out Nicholson had been an idiotic move, just shining a spotlight on his under the table activities. Sooner or later, the connection would be established. Estes hated to leave the empire he'd established in New York. The city had been good to him. His friends, such as they were, were in New York, as well as a couple of reasonably accommodating ladies. But the city had become too hot. Estes had steadily funneled funds to the Cayman Islands and to Switzerland, guarding his business from scrutiny by the IRS as much as possible. Now that treasure store would serve not only as a shelter from the tax man, but as his start on a new life. He had no regrets about leaving his wife behind. Her shopaholic ways had long ago killed any affection he might have harbored for her. He smiled, imagining her distress when her magic cards no longer functioned. She'd just have to live on what she'd already weaseled out of him. And it would be less than she thought. Some of the diamonds that she so conscientiously weighed herself down with were in truth, merely cubic zirconia. He would love to see her face when she discovered that as well, but he could happily content himself with his imaginings. When he made it to his new home in Paradise, he could easily buy any company he wanted. It would only be a few more days until everything was arranged. If that little twerp Dickenson could just keep his head down and his mouth shut until then, Burgess would be free and clear.


	13. Chapter 13

Life Goes On

Chapter 13

"What the hell is this?" Corlin Dickenson demanded.

"This," Kate replied succinctly, as Esposito snapped the cuffs on the indignant aide, is you being arrested for the murder of your old pal Captain Nicholson. I don't go out much on arrests anymore, but I wanted to wrap this one up myself."

"You're not wrapping anything up!" Dickenson retorted in a nasal tone, as a drop flew from his nose.

Esposito took a step back in disgust. "No man gettin' his snot on me." He handed Dickenson over to two uniformed officers, who kept their distance as much as they could, while escorting him out of his uptown apartment.

"I want a lawyer and I want my rep!" Dickenson yelled over his shoulder at Kate, his voice breaking on the mucus in this throat.

"Yes, I'm sure you do," Kate replied.

* * *

Kate returned to the loft with her arms full of Remy's cheeseburgers and extra large fries. A surprise lunch!" Castle exclaimed. "Are we celebrating the successful closure of a case?"

"Not yet," Kate responded. "We arrested Dickenson, but he lawyered up. The boys are searching his place now. If they can find the gun and match the bullet, we'll have it clinched. It won't matter what his lawyer tries to do. We'll have enough leverage to get everything out of him. I was going to have lunch anyway. I just thought it would be fun to have it with you."

"Not only is it wonderful to see your beautiful captainly face, but I welcome the break," Castle confessed.

"Brain freeze on your next Nikki Heat," Kate inquired, "or is Derrick Storm raining on your parade?"

"That's good, Kate," Castle acknowledged. "But neither one. I was working on my other book. I was trying to put down the first time my character's mother goes off and leaves him for an extended period of time and how he struggles to understand it. Then I realized that like him, I'm still struggling to understand. It was like I jumped back into my younger self, and it hurt -a lot. I realized that in many ways, Derrick Storm and then Jameson Rook were a way of distancing myself from that pain, projecting it on someone who had an easier time handling it. But at this point, this character doesn't have an easier time handling his hurt, because he doesn't handle it. He's too bewildered by what's going on, so he just sort of shoves it away somewhere and pretends everything is fine."

"Sounds like you're doing therapy, Castle." Kate observed.

"Yeah well I tried therapy, I mean before Dr. Burke helped me remember about Thailand, but I never went here. This is harder, Kate. A lot harder," Castle confessed. "I've always hated being introspective and this is why. It makes me feel things I don't want to feel."

Kate took his hand. "Like you're really pissed off at Martha and you don't want to be."

"Where'd you get that from?" Castle puzzled.

"Castle, let's sit down and eat together, and I'll tell you," Kate proposed.

"Okay," Castle agreed, heading to the kitchen for plates and napkins while Kate began to unpack her two increasingly grease stained paper bags. "Oh good, you got drinks."

"Enough people were asking, so they officially just started listing these on the menu," Kate explained. "Arnold Palmers, half lemonade, half iced tea. You get your sugar rush and a spike of caffeine at the same time."

"Very efficient," Castle commented, plunking down plates. He sank into his chair while Kate slid into hers. "So tell me about the source of your well of insight."

"Well you know I was seeing Doctor Burke after I got shot - the first time," Kate began.

"Well I didn't know until you let it drop when I was about ready to walk away from you for lying to me about not hearing me tell you I loved you," Castle admitted. "But yeah. I remember my shock when you finally spilled it, being well covered under zombie make-up."

Kate blanched as she froze with a french fry halfway to her mouth."Castle I never knew you were about to walk away, I just knew things suddenly became really strained between us and then things seemed better again, at least until Maddox showed up."

Castle reached across the table to take her hand. "Doesn't matter anymore. Whatever happened, we found our way back to each other, but what about Dr. Burke?"

"Well, he helped me realize that my obsession with finding my mother's killer wasn't just about finding justice, although that certainly was a lot of it. I was angry, Castle. I was angry at her for leaving me, for leaving my father to drown in a bottle, for destroying the dreams I'd always had for my life. And I couldn't bear to admit to myself how angry I was with her, so I just put up the emotional walls I told you about. I didn't want to acknowledge I had anger or any other kind of weakness. So I was super detective, right up until Maddox kicked my ass and threw me off a building. Then I realized I was about to lose everything, including you, and if I did survive, I was going to have to resolve that anger somehow."

"And did you?" Castle questioned, "or did you just bury it again when you came to me out of the storm?"

Kate bit down on her straw. "A good question, Castle. I really thought I had. But just now, at this moment I'm talking to you, I realized that I didn't resolve it or bury it, I just changed the target of it. I wasn't mad at my mother anymore, I was mad at myself for letting her death rule my life like that; for making the inquiry that got my A.G. team get killed; for wasting all the time I could have been with you. That's why I pushed you away to go after LokSat myself. I was punishing myself, Castle. And in doing that, I didn't mean to, and I'm so sorry, but I punished you. And I almost lost you."

"And I almost lost you," Castle pointed out. "No punishment could have been worse than that. Well maybe when I was so eager to step in front of bullets with you, I was doing the same thing somehow. I didn't want to be mad at mother so I convinced myself I'd done something to drive her away, that I was unworthy somehow. And my other marriages just fed into that. I was sure I wasn't good enough for you to love me either, and that's why you lied. We are a pair, aren't we? It would have been easier and less painful to get one of those whips the crazy monks use for self flagellation. Wow! I think I just got more insight into the two of us, trying to write a chapter of a book that wasn't supposed to be about the two of us, than I did writing the whole stack of Nikki Heats that was."

The corners of Kate's mouth twitched. "Well there's the irony you love so much, Castle."

"Yeah Kate, I've always bragged about being a best selling author."

Kate rolled her eyes. "No kidding."

"But," Castle continued, "I was constantly procrastinating, because I never really, in my heart of hearts, felt like I was a real writer. But now I do, and it's like the whole world has shifted in an instant."

Kate rotated her thumb over the knuckles of the hand that still clung tightly to her own. "So is that cause for celebration?"

"For now let's just celebrate your arrest, and excellent cheeseburgers." Castle proposed. "We can celebrate the rest when I finish the book."

"Damn!" Kate exclaimed as her cell dinged a text alert. She pulled it out of her pocket and stared at the screen. "We may be down to just celebrating cheeseburgers, Castle. The gun at Dickenson's apartment was the wrong caliber. He may not be our shooter."


	14. Chapter 14

Life Goes On

Chapter 14

After returning from the loft with Castle, Kate was just closing her desk drawer on her purse when Ryan and Esposito appeared in the doorway of her office. "Tell me about the rest of the search of Dickenson's apartment," she instructed.

"Not good news, Captain," Ryan stated grimly. "CSU couldn't find any shoes with fabric softener on the soles. There was no GSR on any of Dickenson's clothes. So far, the DNA is the only evidence we have he was in Kiki's apartment. And his lawyer is arguing that he wasn't, that the DNA was a transfer from Nicholson from when he met with Dickenson earlier."

"Could it have been?" Beckett queried.

"CSU doesn't think so," Ryan replied.

"But Dickenson's lawyer's going to claim the DNA is irrelevant anyway," Esposito added, "'cause the shooting didn't take place inside Kiki's apartment, it took place in the hall."

"So we've got nothing from the Dickenson's place," Kate concluded.

"Pretty much," Ryan agreed.

""How about the bug? Any connection there?" Kate asked.

"We're still tracing, but it was sold to someone in New York," Esposito related.

Kate and Castle gazed at each other. "Well maybe we can stretch that a little and use it," she proposed. "We've still got time on the twenty-four hours we can hold Dickenson. Get him back in the box."

Castle watched from Observation as, eyes narrowed and jaw set, Kate faced Dickenson and his attorney across the metallic span of the interrogation table. "We know about the bug, Corlin. We know you put it in Kiki Harkness's apartment. Just that, is enough to get you bounced from the department and possibly behind bars. And we know we're going to find out more. So tell us why you went to that much trouble to find out what Nicholson was up to and we may be able to put the D.A. in a forgiving mood."

Dickenson turned to his lawyer, who nodded. "Alright, I knew Nicholson was helping out a friend of mine a little."

"Burgess Estes?" Kate prompted.

"Yes," Dickenson agreed. "Anyway, Nicholson was getting nervous. He thought he was being watched, like maybe IAD was onto him. I told him I had that covered and they weren't, but he was still jumpy. He called me from Kiki's apartment and he was really sounding paranoid. I wanted to check up on him so I planted the bug. Then I got out of there. That's all."

Castle knocked on the glass. Kate excused herself and met him outside the door. "Kate," Castle wondered, "If Dickenson is telling the truth, could anyone else have been monitoring that bug, like the photographer did when he picked up the feed from the camera in Kay Capuccio's dog's collar a few years ago? If someone listened in from the laundry room, maybe that was who tracked the fabric softener and shot Nicholson."

Teeth on her lower lip, Kate nodded slowly. "That is possible, Castle. We just need to figure out who would be interested in monitoring Nicholson besides Dickenson."

"Cherchez la femme?" Castle suggested. "For his wife, shooting him in front of his mistress' apartment would be very symbolic and possibly very satisfying. The whole real estate thing could be one giant red herring. Maybe it was always about Nicholson being a cheating cheater."

"You may be right, Castle," Kate conceded. "CSU did say the fabric softener tracks were small and it was possible they might have been from a woman. We just focused on men because of Dickenson's DNA. And Burgess Estes had an alibi. Security cameras in his building have him going in before the murder and not leaving until long afterward. Of course he could have had some of his muscle do it for him, but I don't see someone who'd push a little old lady down the stairs being subtle enough to intercept the transmission from a bug. It's past time to talk to the grieving widow. You want to stay?"

Castle shook his head regretfully."Wish I could, but I promised a meet and greet with one of your contributors who needs a little push to write a check for your TV ads, and I owe Gina another two chapters on the next Derrick Storm. I need to proof them. So tell me about the fatal female over a late supper?"

Kate stretched upward for a quick kiss. "It's a date."

* * *

Margaret Nicholson snorted and rolled her eyes as she settled into a chair in the interrogation lounge. "Did I know Nick was having an affair? Hell yes. I thanked God every night for that little tramp. She kept him away from me. Jerk snored like a chain saw and cut his toenails in bed. You ever have one of those shavings prick you in the middle of the night? Ugh! And he drank beer for breakfast." She rolled her lips in disgust. "Listen, the only reason I was staying around was I knew he was stashing money somewhere and I needed time to track it down. My lawyer has a forensic accountant on it. Since the commissioner isn't doing a press conference, I assume you haven't found whoever took Nick out yet."

"We are definitely getting closer," Kate responded. "What makes you think your husband was stashing money?"

Margaret held up a flat hand in front of Kate's face. "Oh please! No matter what kind of garbage the commissioner feeds the press, if you people are doing any investigation at all, you know that Nick did favors, especially for Dickenson's buddy Burgess Estes. And I'm sure Nick wasn't doing them for old times sake, although Dickenson did keep the heat off Nick's back. Nick wasn't exactly Mr. _Law and Order_. He just wanted to put his time in and get what he could from the system. Maybe someone just didn't like the way Nick did business. No honor among thieves and all that. Maybe you people will have more luck following the money than I did."

"I'll need contact information for that forensic accountant," Kate decided.

"My lawyer has it, for all the good it will do you." Margaret took her cell phone from a leather satchel she carried and displayed a contact for Kate. "Here. Now can your people get me out a back door or something? The press is driving me crazy and I'm not in the mood to have to put on my weepy look."

"Sure, Mrs. Nicholson," Kate agreed. "Thank you for being so forthcoming."

Margaret shrugged. "Life is short and I've wasted too much of it on that loser already. The sooner this is over, the better."

Kate sighed as she watched Margaret being ushered toward the elevator. No one liked Nicholson. She'd have the boys check Margaret's alibi, but her gut told her the wife didn't do it. So who had enough savvy to intercept transmissions from a bug and would want Nicholson gone? She was stymied again, and her desk was piled high from all the time she was spending investigating the case. If Castle's late supper wasn't going to turn into a midnight snack, she had to start digging through the paper.

* * *

Castle arranged the table with satisfaction. Gina had been placated. A check had been delivered for Alexis to put to work on Kate's broadcast blitz and Hayley had just negotiated a fat finder's fee for the recovery of a Slovinski, which if nothing else would keep Richard Castle investigations from turning back into a money pit. Hearing Kate's key in the door, he lit two white tapers and turned to see his wife stomp in. She didn't look like she was in a romantic mood.

A/N My new book, Dark Awakening by Sally Ramsey, is now on sale on Amazon. There is a link on my profile page.


	15. Chapter 15

Life Goes On

Chapter 15

"Not the femme fatale?" Castle inquired sympathetically.

"Not the wife, anyway. She was too busy trying to track down where he was hiding his ill-gotten gains. And the boys checked her alibi for the time of the murder. She couldn't have done it. That doesn't mean another woman didn't, but I have no idea who that might be and right now my brain is on bureaucratic overload." Kate dropped her bag heavily onto a chair. "Tell me there is wine here, or better yet, chocolate."

Castle suppressed a grin. "Chocolate? Yeah, I thought it was getting to that time of the month. We have M&M's® and peanut butter cups, although you might want to wait until after supper. I've been simmering the sauce for hours and all I have to do is drop the pasta. Maybe a back rub while it's cooking? That usually helps."

"Actually, Castle, there's nothing to help with yet, at least as far as that kind of pain goes. Ever since we were shot, things have been a little unpredictable." Kate slid onto a stool at the counter. "Just go ahead and put the pasta in. You would think all the paperwork I did this afternoon would kill my appetite, but I'm starving."

"Coming right up," Castle responded, dumping linguine into a large pot of boiling water. He pulled a plate of raw vegetables out of the refrigerator and plopped it down in front of her. That should hold you for a few minutes."

Kate sniffed and pushed the plate away. "Castle, how long have those been in the fridge? They smell funny."

Castle lowered his nose and inhaled deeply. "Kate, they were fresh, and I marinated them the same time I started the sauce. They should be fine."Castle jaw dropped as his eyebrows flew upward. "Wait a minute, Kate! You're late and things smell funny? That's what happened with Meredith was when she was pregnant with Alexis!"

Kate shook her head vigorously. "Can't be, Castle. I have an IUD. You know that."

"Well maybe it was expelled when you were shot. Kate if you do still have it and you are pregnant, it could be dangerous for the baby and maybe for you too. I raised a daughter. I read up on all that stuff." Castle reached across the counter for her hand. "You should get checked out as soon as possible."

"Castle, I'm not pregnant!" Kate protested. "And I've got the case and everything else at the precinct and the campaign. I don't have time for any more trips to the doctor right now."

"Well I wouldn't dare get between you and your pasta right now, but how about if after dinner I take a trip to the all night drugstore while you indulge your chocolate passion?" Castle proposed. "Then we'll know if it's just a matter of my picking bad vegetables or messing up a marinade. And if I'm wrong you can suitably chastise my failings."

"Alright Castle," Kate agreed, "if it will make you feel better. Now feed me!"

Castle saluted. "Yes Captain Beckett."

Castle perused the offerings in the feminine needs aisle before enlisting the aid of the slightly bored and sleepy on duty pharmacist, to select the test that would give a positive result the soonest. He returned to the loft with the appropriate bright pink box and ushered a reluctant Kate into the bathroom. She grumpily demanded her privacy and he paced the bedroom for the few minutes that seemed like hours. "So?" he demanded when Kate emerged.

Kate handed him the test stick with resignation and he stared at the plus sign. "Castle, I'll make an appointment with my GYN tomorrow," she said.

"We are not waiting that long!" Castle declared. "I'm taking you to the hospital tonight to check if that thing - and I don't mean the baby - is in there." Kate started to open her mouth. "Do not! Do not even think about arguing with me about this Kate. You know I'll give in to you on just about anything, but not about your safety or our child's."

The emergency room was crowded, and with victims also coming in from a nearby fire, Kate's problem was not considered a priority. The sun was coming up and Castle was in a state of near panic by the time she was seen. He thought about texting Lanie, the one person he could think of who would share his concern and actually be helpful. But he knew Kate would be furious if he shared anything before she was ready to talk about it, so he tried to distract himself, unsuccessfully, reading the comments of his followers on the Richard Castle website and on Twitter.

Finally Kate was released, to find her husband wearing a track in the waiting room floor. She reached up, cradling his face in her palms and pressing her forehead to his. "I'm fine Castle. The baby is fine too. There's no IUD. They think I've been pregnant for about a month, maybe a little more, from the size of the baby."

Castle hugged her close. "Kate, I know you weren't ready for this, but we can make it work. As Public Advocate you could have the baby at your office, or I could bring it to you. I can stay home and write and take care of the baby and you can pitch in as much as you can. I'll let Alexis and Hayley have Richard Castle investigations, if they want it. This will work Kate. We can make it work."

"Castle, we don't even know if I'll be elected," Kate reminded him.

"You'll be elected, Kate," Castle declared. "But even if you're not, we will find a way with whatever you do." Castle stepped back as a thought stung his consciousness. "Unless you don't want the child."

Kate closed the gap between them, putting her head against his chest. "Of course I want it, Castle. It's part of me and it's part of you. How couldn't I want it? I just didn't want it quite so soon. But you're right. We can make it work. And what you'll probably be glad to know is that I'm required to tell the department, which means I won't be allowed in the field, even if I want to be there. So Junior won't be dodging bullets."

Castle pulled her tight, inhaling the faint scent of cherries that clung to her hair. "I know you hate limitations, but Kate I am glad to hear it, and I promise, your life will be exciting enough." Castle caught sight of the clock on the wall. "You're normally at work by now. Did you call in?"

Kate grinned. "Captain's privilege. As late as I worked last night, I can be in when I get there. And Castle right now I want breakfast, lots of breakfast. Maybe that great little diner near where Archibald Fosse almost blew us up?"

"Sounds good to me," Castle said, "but no latte unless it's decaf."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Fine Castle. I can see that you're turning into the nanny already."

Castle ran the tip of his finger over her lips. "Believe me, when I think of you, it's as anything but a nanny. I'm just the husband - a husband completely devoted to providing anything his wife needs."

Kate lightly sucked on Castle's invading digit. "We'll see about all of that later, Castle, but right now the goat cheese omelet - and home fries with ketchup."

Castle pulled out his car keys, bowed, and gestured toward the exit. "As the pregnant lady commands."


	16. Chapter 16

Life Goes On

Chapter 16

Castle's mind was spinning, trying to figure out what to do. It was easy for Kate to organize her day. She went off to the precinct. It was a relief to know that she'd stay there during the day. It was even more of a relief to know she'd have Jenny to talk to about the finer points of pregnancy and Lanie to keep her on a healthy straight and narrow. Still, Nicholson's murder remained unsolved which meant the commissioner was constantly on Kate's back. While Kate was keeping her head down, her opponent in her campaign for Public Advocate, one Marigold Perswitch, was taking advantage to gain visibility.

Marigold had always been part of the New York Silly Season. She had insisted that the lights in Times Square were actually acting as a homing beacon to an alien invasion. She was also sure that the Zika virus had been developed by aliens to dissuade humans from getting pregnant. She'd called for the deportation of Puerto Ricans, until informed that they were in fact American citizens. She'd also insisted that traffic cams were actually x-ray machines taking nude pictures of drivers. For the most part she had been good fodder for the tabloids and an amusing guest on very late night television and radio. But now, pointing to Kate as a symbol of the N.Y.P.D. being too incompetent to rid New York of dangerous killers, she was gaining currency. She was finding her way into the mainstream press and being invited to speak on talk radio in the daytime. Kate needed a break to divert the public's attention back to reality. What she really needed was to solve the case, but leads had dried up fast.

The bug had been bought by Dickenson and was of no further help. The bullet that killed Nicholson had matched nothing in the ballistics data base and was from a common make and model. It could have been obtained by anyone anywhere, or merely stolen. The laundry room contained such a mass of fingerprints, DNA, and fibers, that even if the killer had left something behind, isolating it was tantamount to impossible. Tips were still coming in from all over the city, but they proved less than worthless, taking up the time and resources that might otherwise be used in more productive ways.

Burgess Estes had disappeared. Castle wasn't sure whether to be pleased or dismayed. The upside was that Javi's cousin would prevail. The building would not be gutted and the tenants would be safe. The downside was that Estes would never be called to account for any crimes he had committed. However, the funds he had managed to stow away offshore were being traced, and if his access to them could be cut off, his exile would not be a happy one. Castle could only hope that Estes' wife's accountants would prevail. He had suggested to Hayley that with her hacker skills, she might get on the trail as well. Hayley was willing to accept the challenge only if a suitable cut - a large cut - of any monies recovered could be negotiated. She and Alexis were working on that, and had peaked Mrs. Estes' interest. But while the possible influx of funds to Richard Castle Investigations would be nice, it wouldn't bring Castle any closer to a solution to Nicholson's murder.

Castle remembered a poker game with the late Stephen Cannell during which the writer had outlined a limited list of motives for murder. In line with that offering, Castle, Kate, and the boys had looked at money. They'd looked at covering up a crime. They thought they'd looked at jealousy, but Nicholson's wife turned out to be a non-starter. That pretty much completed the list. There had to be an angle they missed. Maybe whoever the killer was thought they had a noble purpose. Castle recalled Joss Whedon explaining that villains didn't think they were villains, they thought they were the good guys. That was advice that Castle had often ignored in his stories, preferring the black and white world of hot lead pulp. But in pursuing his new literary foray, it had become obvious that the road to hell often was paved with the best of intentions. In his history with Kate, great intentions had caused them to lie to each other and almost torn their relationship apart.

Castle asked himself who would have good intentions. Who in this whole case was a white hat, or at least appeared to be? There was only one person in the whole narrative that fit the bill. She was a minor character and she was a woman. Castle bent over his computer to research his new suspect.

* * *

Castle picked up his cell and pushed his special icon for Kate. Kate didn't answer until the fourth ring and Castle could hear the rustle of papers in the background. He could also hear the exasperation in her voice. "Oh Castle, I got a whole pile of requisitions from downstairs and when I tried to get to the M&Ms® in my drawer, the whole stack ended up on the floor. Now they're all out of order and I don't know what I finished and what I still have to check. Tell me something good, Babe."

"I think I know who might have killed Nicholson," Castle replied.

Kate sat up straight in her chair. "What? Castle I think you better start from the beginning."

"All right," Castle agreed. "Remember how Espo's cousin said that the person who actually did her job and sent out people to check on what was going on in his cousin Julio's building was the precinct lieutenant, but that Nicholson put a stop to it?"

"Uh huh, Lieutenant Van Dyke," Kate replied. "Good cop. What about her?"

"I did some checking Kate. She was in line to get Nicholson's precinct, but strings were pulled at 1PP. No doubt Dickenson had something to do with that. But anyway, Van Dyke is stuck taking orders from that jerk. Worse, she's seeing people getting hurt while she's stuck. That would have to gall. I checked on her Kate, she has a whole set of special skills and one of them is of particular note. Care to guess what it is?"

Kate sighed as she attempted to bring some order to her desk while listening to her husband. "Castle, I really don't have the patience for guessing games right now. Just tell me."

"Electronic surveillance, Kate," Castle declared triumphantly. "She could easily have picked up the feed from Dickenson's bug. And Kate, let's face it, she could have access to all kinds of guns picked up on the street. She also has family up in Vermont. There are almost no gun laws up there. She could have purchased anything she wanted with no registration, no permit, and no background check. She would have known about Kiki Harkness, it was an open secret. Maybe she follows Nicholson over there or maybe she's just keeping an eye on him. She sees Dickenson with a bug or suspects he planted one. She intercepts the transmission, realizes Nicholson will be coming out of the apartment and that if she shoots him, Dickenson will probably be blamed. Two jerks with one bullet, so to speak, and she can run a decent precinct again."

"Castle, that is a great story," Kate admitted, "but if even if you're right, how could we possibly prove it?"

Castle stroked the stubble he had yet to scrape from his jaw. "Kate, dear wife and M&M® stuffing mother of my child, I am working on it."


	17. Chapter 17

Life Goes On

Chapter 17

Hayley leaned back against the desk at Richard Castle Investigations, gazing skeptically at Castle. "So you want me to check out the apartment of a police lieutenant to see if she has a security system, and if she does, you want me to find a way to set it off remotely?"

"Exactly," Castle confirmed.

"Castle, I don't know why I even think about doing these things for you," Hayley complained.

"First of all because I'm still the controlling partner in this firm," Castle reminded her. "But besides that, you're not doing it for me, you're doing it for Kate. We need to close the Nicholson murder to get Marigold Perswitch to shut up, and to do that, we need to get the police into Clarissa Van Dyke's apartment."

"Castle, even if you manage to get the police to respond on cue, what makes you think they're going to find anything? They'd just make sure the place is secure and then have Van Dyke check to see if anything is missing."

Castle grinned conspiratorially. "Ah, but not if the right unit responds, and I know just the boys for the job. Hayley, I'm not asking you to plant anything, but if you can get in there undetected, you might uncover the evidence they need."

* * *

Ryan tasted a sampling of carefully piped purple potato. "Castle, it was nice of you to invite us to lunch today, but why in this neighborhood and why this place?"

"This place just got a new chef who prides himself on the best produce and on his art using it," Castle explained. "How about those potatoes? Pretty special, huh."

"They're potatoes, man," Esposito retorted. "And why the police scanner? Ryan and I aren't even officially on duty and this isn't the Twelfth's territory."

"Yeah, but if something did happen and you were close, you'd respond, right?" Castle prompted.

"Sure but..." Esposito's fork clattered to his plate. "Castle, what the hell are you up to?"

"I just had a premonition that something's going to happen that will help you solve your case," Castle replied innocently. Castle put his fingertips to his temples and scrunched his eyes shut. "I see it happening soon. We might want to order dessert before it does. They do have an exquisite chocolate raspberry torte here. I was going to order an extra one to give to Kate later."

Esposito narrowed his eyes at Castle. "Right."

The scanner chattered to life just as Castle was leaving a stack of bills for the check. "Guys," he pointed out, "there's a break-in less than a a block from here. As the nearest unit, shouldn't you at least go check it out?"

"Castle, I knew it!" Esposito exclaimed.

"Oh come on, Javi," Ryan cajoled, "let's just go and find out what's going on."

The alarm was still shrieking when Ryan and Esposito arrived at the door of Clarissa Van Dyke's apartment, with Castle trailing close behind them. The door was locked. "Guys, there could be someone in there. Someone could even be hurt. You really should go in," Castle urged.

Ryan and Esposito looked at each other doubtfully.

"Well if you guys are too worried about the rules, then I guess this good Samaritan is going to have to intervene," Castle decided, raising a foot for a good kick. The door frame splintered and Castle rushed into the apartment. Ryan shrugged, pulled his gun and followed, with Esposito grudgingly bringing up the rear. "He could be hiding somewhere," Castle proclaimed loudly, throwing open the door to a closet. "Hey guys, look at this." Castle pointed to a gun on a shelf above the neatly hanging clothes and a blue dress uniform. "Look at the uniform. This is a cop's apartment, but that's not an official issue weapon, is it?"

Esposito gazed at the pistol Castle indicated. "No it isn't bro. And I suppose it's just coincidence that it's the kind of gun that would match the bullet that killed Nicholson."

"Just one heck of a coincidence," Castle insisted. "But I bet the ballistics are a match."

* * *

Castle yawned as he slipped on headphones and seated himself in front of a microphone for the _Early_ _Morning Drive Show_. Host Gina Herrera smiled. "This morning our guest is best selling author and all around hunk Richard Castle. Sorry ladies, I wish you could share my view. You are looking great, Rick, and so is your new Nikki Heat book, High Heat, which was just released. Tell me, with your wife, the beautiful and brilliant Kate Beckett now running for office, is she still your muse?"

"Kate will always be my muse, Gina, I can't imagine putting fingers to keyboard without her, but this may be the last in the series of Nikki Heats, at least as out of the Twenty-third Precinct. Kate will be making a difference in even a bigger and better way, and my writing will reflect that."

"So you believe, especially with the solving of the Nicholson shooting, that your wife will win the election for Public Advocate?" Gina questioned.

"Gina, if there is one thing I have learned since I started shadowing Kate, it is that nothing is certain in this world - except that whatever my wife does, it will be outstanding. I do believe she will win, she certainly is the only candidate that makes any sense, and I mean that in a literal way. But whether she becomes Public Advocate or not, her contribution to improving life in this city will remain outstanding."

"Spoken like a proud husband," Gina offered. "High Heat is on sale now in hardback and e-book and the paperback will be coming out...?"

"December," Castle filled in, just in time to stuff Christmas stockings."

"And ladies, if you want to give yourselves a present, enjoy the photo on the back of Rick's book. And now to speed you on your way, here's a traffic report." The producer hit a switch, bringing in the feed from a traffic reporter in a helicopter above the Long Island Expressway.

Castle pulled off his earphones and extended a hand. "Thanks Gina."

"You're welcome anytime, Rick. I just got High Heat handed to me this morning and I can't wait to read it. And I'll be anxious to see where your books go next."

Castle smiled mischievously. "Me too."

* * *

Castle returned to the loft with a box of cronuts. Kate greeted him at the door with a possessive kiss and immediately took custody of the box. "I was listening to you on the radio with Gina while I was in the shower. I could almost hear her love eyeballs."

"Oh Come on Kate, that's just shtick. Flirting is part of her persona. She's been happily living with her producer for years and he was about six feet away. He's also three inches taller and about thirty pounds heavier than I am. She's just helping me sell books, and your candidacy. Has the latest poll come out?"

Kate bit into a flaky pastry. "Mm. Just got a text. I'm forty points ahead."

"Marigold's petals fell fast after we collared Clarissa Van Dyke," Castle noted.

"More like you collared Van Dyke," Kate interjected.

"What counts is that the case no longer dominates the discourse. I hear Marigold's latest is that when I disappeared I was replaced by an alien, and you're complicit in preparing the world for an invasion. Doesn't seem like it's working for her. Although," Castle jerked his head like a malfunctioning android, "I- I- I..."

Crumbs shot out of Kate's mouth as she guffawed. "Castle don't do that while I'm eating!"

Castle brushed bits of cronut from his lapel. "You're right. These things are way too expensive to waste. Of course I can't eat any. It would clog up my circuits."

Kate snapped her teeth at his earlobe. "If I had more time before I have to leave for work, I'd charge your circuits. But it will have to wait until tonight."

Castle affectionately palmed her still flat belly. "I'll count the seconds until your personal generator starts shooting out sparks."

A/N My book, Dark Awakening is now available in paperback, Kindle edition, and hardcover on Amazon. If you use the search terms Dark Awakening and Sally Ramsey it should come right up. The cover is blue.


	18. Chapter 18

Life Goes On

Chapter 18

Richard Castle had rented a ballroom at the Four Seasons for the supporters of the Katherine Beckett for Public Advocate Campaign to occupy while the election returns came in. A local station was playing on a big wall mounted TV, but with a presidential election going on, Kate's campaign was hardly news. About every half hour something about New York showed up for a moment in a crawl across the bottom of the screen. In truth, for the most part, most people in the room were more concerned with the National races than the local ones. Kate couldn't blame them. The presidential campaign had been hard fought and emotionally charged. Her election was unlikely to impact the number of soldiers dying overseas or economics on the world stage. She was very concerned with National outcomes herself.

Still, she needed to put on her best candidate face. Alcohol was flowing freely, but no one needed to know that the flute in her hand contained sparkling cider. Until a baby bump became obvious, her pregnancy was a matter between herself, Castle, closest friends, family, and the Health Maintenance Division of the N.Y.P.D.. Assuming she won her bid, she would give a statement to the press at the appropriate time, making it clear that her impending motherhood would in no way decrease her effectiveness at her new job. Until then, it would not be the city's business.

The polls in New York City didn't close until nine P.M. and the evening dragged. A couple of times Castle suggested to Kate that she take advantage of the suite he'd rented upstairs, to put her feet up for a while, but she felt obligated to stay until the final results of her race were announced.

Kate's victory was called at ten P.M., but as National returns continued to come in from across multiple time zones, Kate decided to keep her speech short and to the point. She stood at a raised podium. "I want to thank everyone here. I know that I couldn't have made this journey without you. I would especially like to thank our former mayor Bob Weldon for his wise counsel and amazing organizing skills, my stepdaughter Alexis for making sure every cent was accounted for and well spent, and of course my husband, Richard Castle, without whose support I could never have managed any of this.

"Now the press has already been asking what the most immediate items on my agenda would be. Having spent a great deal of my life in law enforcement, I have become painfully aware that the law you pass is not always the law that is enforced. While holding the Public Advocate's office, our mayor Letitia Jones battled mightily to pass legislation that would assure that tenants would be treated fairly. This city has come a long way in that respect, but as recent events have shown, we still have a long way to go. I will continue Letitia's fight to make sure that everyone one in this city, regardless of means, can count on a clean and decent place to live. I have also experienced first hand the distrust of law enforcement in this city. Again, as recent and not so recent events have demonstrated, this distrust is not entirely unjustified. Letitia has proposed the use by police of body cameras. In many cases, this may be a good idea, and I will continue to promote it. However, still again calling on personal experience, there are many situations, especially involving the inner political workings of the N.Y.P.D., where this will not be enough. I will continue to investigate ways to make our police department one that no law-abiding citizen should ever hesitate to call or trust. There are also a number of other policies that have been recently instituted in this city, from recycling, to paid sick leave. I fully intend to both support and expand those, as well as develop whatever others it takes to increase the quality of life for all New Yorkers. In order to give these matters my full and immediate attention, I will be resigning my post as captain of the Twelfth Precinct, effective as soon as my replacement can be identified.

"Now you are all welcome to stay as long as you like. Enjoy the food, the company, and I would hope, the best possible results of the other races. After the last few weeks, I owe my husband a little celebration of our own, so have a great time and a good night."

Castle extended a hand to help Kate down from her perch, and they left the room to a round of applause. Kate leaned against Castle in the elevator on the way to the restricted floor where their suite was located. Castle automatically massaged the small of her back. "Something tells me you don't want to stay up to see who's elected president."

"Babe, I'm not sure I'll manage to stay awake to make it to our room," Kate confessed. "The polls haven't even closed in California yet and every swing state vote is going to be scrutinized. We may not have a presidential result for hours, or it could be like 2000 and be weeks. There's nothing we can do about it now anyway. I think you and your checkbook did your best to put in the saner candidate. We'll just have to live with whatever happens. Right now I can't wait to get into bed."

"You want company?" Castle queried.

Kate turned to cup his cheek, "Always."

Kate stepped out of her campaign clothes, pulled on a t-shirt of Castle's that had been washed to infinite softness, and climbed into the over-sized hotel bed. By the time Castle followed and wrapped his arms around her, she was already asleep. Castle's eyes were wide open in the dark. Everything was about to change. His place at the Twelfth would be no more. Ryan, Esposito, and many other members of the N.Y.P.D. would continue to be friends, but the relationship would become much more casual, as it had once before when Kate had worked in D.C.. Kate would no longer be on the blue line, and by association, Castle would no longer be a member of the law enforcement club. He looked forward to knowing that it was unlikely that anyone would be shooting at his wife or himself anymore. They both had more than enough scar tissue already. But he had the feeling of a distinct loss of extended family, even as his nuclear one was about to expand.

Letitia had a law degree and Kate was talking again about pursuing one herself, one course at a time. Between that and Kate's elected post, whatever Kate's intentions might be, Castle suspected that most of the everyday responsibility for raising their son or daughter would fall on him. He didn't mind. He'd loved raising Alexis, and Kate would be involved more than Meredith ever was, but still it would be a complication. While Alexis and Hayley were more than capable of handling Richard Castle Investigations, Castle still had obligations to Black Pawn. Those obligations would include book tours and publicity events. Once the baby came, all that would need to be worked out. He certainly had the means to hire any help he and Kate needed, but after his own early experiences, wanted to use as little of it as possible. Then there was the new direction his writing was taking. He had no idea where that might lead. He only knew it was a time of evolution, which would be both exhilarating and terrifying.


	19. Life Goes On Chapter 19

Life Goes On

Chapter 19

Kate's cell phone buzzed from the pocket of the blazer she'd left on a nearby chair the night before. Taking a few seconds to adjust to the unfamiliar surroundings of the hotel room, she made it out of bed just in time to grab her cell on the fourth ring. Ryan's voice was apologetic. "Captain I hate to disturb you. I'm sure you had a late night, but I thought you'd want to know about this one. We have a new body, and Captain, it's Alex Conrad."

Kate gazed at Castle, who was beginning to stir under the ornate bed coverings. Alex's death would hit him harder than it hit her. An up and coming author, Alex had been an amusement to her for a couple of days, while he picked her brain about police procedure. The time Alex spent with Kate had also given Castle the impetus to cop to being jealous, something she had found both endearing and reassuring. But since she'd assured Castle that Alex was no threat, he and the younger man had grown closer, with Castle taking great pains to critique Alex's manuscripts and prompt him with more out of the box plot lines. Castle had become genuinely proud of Alex and regarded him as a sort of literary godchild. Alex's death would hurt, a pain she hoped she'd have time to ease before going on to her new position.

After his restless night, Castle's lashes lifted slowly over bloodshot eyes. He pushed himself up against the deeply tufted headboard. "Kate?"

"We have a case, Castle, probably our last one." Kate sat on the edge of the bed and gently took his hand. "Babe, it's Alex."

It took a moment for Castle to realize who she was talking about. "Alex Conrad?"

Kate reached out to brush back an errant strand of hair that threatened to fall in his eyes and nodded. "I'm sorry Babe."

Castle threw his legs over the side of the bed and swiped a hand across his eyes to clear them. "Do the boys have any idea what happened?"

Kate opened her overnight bag to reach for fresh clothes. "They just got there, but they recognized Alex immediately. That's why Ryan called. I'm going to the precinct. I'm not supposed to be in the field. You know that. But you can meet them at the scene if you want to."

"I need to," Castle responded grimly.

* * *

Alex Conrad lay cruelly sprawled on the concrete. Blood had seeped into cracks in the already filled by drainage from a nearby dumpster; the air of decay a sad contrast to the youthful appearance of what was left of his face. His expression was one of resignation rather than surprise, as if he had been expecting an assault. A paper wrapped pastrami sandwich had been knocked from his hand and lay nearby.

Perlmutter knelt on one knee next to the body. His usual disapproving scowl was absent, as Castle approached. "He was your friend, wasn't he, Castle?"

Castle nodded. "How did he die?"

"Multiple traumas," Perlmutter replied, "the hard way. He was beaten to death. I'd estimate time of death between eleven and one last night."

"That makes sense. Alex loved midnight snacks when he was writing," Castle recalled. "We shared a few. He was always a big fan of deli. I guess he would have been better off ordering room service."

"Castle," Ryan inquired gently, "do you know what he was doing in this area?"

"I do. Gina is conducting a writers' conclave at Black Pawn. I was asked to be part of it today. The authors who were in New York from out of town were supposed to be put up at the Radcliffe. That's only two blocks away. Alex must have come over here to get that sandwich, and been attacked."

"Could have been a mugging," Esposito speculated. "He doesn't have a wallet or a phone on him. If we hadn't recognized him, he would have been a John Doe."

"This was no mugging," Perlmutter declared. "Whoever did this was angry. From the marks on the body, Conrad was hit continually, long after he was down. A mugger could have stolen anything he wanted off the body after the first blow."

"So whoever did this was after Alex specifically?" Castle pondered.

"That's for the new 'A Team' to determine," Perlmutter replied. "I'm just telling you that there was no reason for a mugger to inflict this much damage."

"And every reason not to," Ryan added. "The extra time it would have taken meant that our killer had more of a risk of being seen or heard. That may be to our advantage."

"Well it certainly wasn't to Alex's," Castle commented darkly.

"Castle," Ryan queried, "can you think of any reason why someone would go after Conrad?"

Castle rubbed a hand over the stubble he'd taken no time to remove from his jaw. "He was interviewing prisoners, including some at Rikers. He might have heard something he shouldn't have."

Ryan scribbled in his notebook. "We can look into that, see if there are any recently released prisoners he might have been talking to."

"I think I will go to that conclave," Castle muttered. "If he was working on something interesting, Gina would have been on his back until he told her about it. There's no way she'd let go of something that proprietary, to the police, but I think I can get her to tell me."

* * *

"Rick, is this one of your childish little jokes?" Gina spat, her eyes flashing.

"Gina, I may write about death, but I rarely joke about it, certainly not the death of a friend. There will be an empty seat at the poker table for the next year. The police are holding off an official announcement until Alex can be identified by a family member, but I saw the body not four hours ago."

"There won't just be an empty space at your poker table, there's going to be one in the Black Pawn portfolio," Gina complained. "He wasn't that far into his next book. We might be able to turn it into a novella for Kindle, but that wouldn't sell for much of anything."

"Gina, your concern is touching," Castle remarked sarcastically. "Maybe you could show just a little decency and tell me what he was working on, so I can help the police figure out who killed him. At least we could give his mother and his sister some closure."

"Rick if I'm going to put that kind of information out there, I'm going to need something to compensate Black Pawn for the revenue it might make if another one of our authors pursues Alex's research and gives us a solid novel. If you can give me a book in three months," Gina proposed, "I'll turn over the chapters Alex gave me, along with his outline and his notes for the rest of his book."

Castle did a quick mental calculation. He wanted to keep working on his literary opus, but he could easily put aside the Derrick Storm he'd started. In three months Kate would not yet be in the awkward part of her pregnancy and they'd still have time to prepare for the baby. What Gina demanded was doable and worth it, if he could give Alex's family some peace and let Kate leave the Twelfth on the heels of a solved case. "Alright, Gina," he agreed, "you've got a deal."


	20. Chapter 20

Life Goes On

Chapter 20

Kate wandered into Tech, where Ryan was scrubbing the video from around the murder scene. "Got anything?"

Ryan pursed his lips in frustration, "Not really. ATM camera caught someone walking away from the murder scene during the right time frame. You can see enough of a hand to tell that the knuckles are messed up. But he's wearing a hoodie and whoever it was knew enough to keep his face from being seen. And there's nothing on the traffic cams, which makes sense if our killer was walking. We can get an approximate height and weight from the video but not much else. Perlmutter and CSU are checking for fingerprints, fibers, and DNA. Perlmutter thought from the appearance of the wounds, the guy might have been wearing gloves, which would have kept his hands from bleeding on Conrad. Javi has unis checking dumpsters and storm drains in the area, but if our perp was smart enough to wear them, he was probably too smart to ditch them where we could find them. Hear anything from Castle?"

"He was at that conclave at Black Pawn, but he sent me a text. He said he got Alex's notes from Gina but he needs time to go through them and we'll talk tonight."

"Hmm," Ryan puzzled, "I would have expected him to come running in here with those - and some theory about the murder."

"Yeah me too," Kate agreed. "but I don't know how much he got and what kind of negotiations he had to go through with Gina. She really can be a bitch sometimes."

"A purely unbiased statement about the ex-wife," Ryan quipped. "Well I ordered the prison logs from Rikers to see who Alex had official contact with and I can cross check them to see if anyone is out. It could take a while to get them. After the latest round of allegations of abuse at Rikers, some of the staff was let go and things have slowed to a crawl."

"Uh huh," Kate acknowledged. "Conditions there are one of the many things on my list to work on when I take office. It was only three years ago that it was listed as one of the ten worst prisons and it's been referred to as the world's largest penal colony. Not exactly one of the city's proudest institutions. Last I heard the daytime population is up to about 20,000. So Alex could have had contacts that no one knew about except Alex. I'm hoping what Castle has may give us some kind of handle on that. We'll put together whatever we have tomorrow morning and see where we are. Alex's sister is coming in from California to do the official identification too. We'll see if she has any ideas about what her brother was doing. I'll leave you to it for now. I need to start putting together a summary of what's on the agenda for whoever your new captain is going to be."

"Any word about who's on the list?" Ryan queried.

"Lieutenant Jeffords from robbery is on the promotion list, and I'm hoping they'll move him up," Kate confided. "At least he's familiar with what happens here. And he does excel at paperwork. But they may want someone who's already got a record as a captain, like they did when they put Gates in. It's all political maneuvering, and after Dickenson and Nicholson, nobody at 1PP wants to take the blame for any more mistakes. There's a rumor that the Chief is on his way out because of that whole mess and Gates will be moving up. That would mean a major reshuffle and everyone's going to want to look good."

* * *

Kate arrived at the loft at almost the same time as a large pepperoni and pineapple pizza. She sniffed the aroma emanating from the warm box appreciatively while Castle tipped the delivery girl, then planted a quick kiss on his lips. "Thanks Babe, I've been craving this all day."

Castle pulled a pitcher of juice from the refrigerator and filled a couple of tumblers while Kate opened the square box on the table and put out plates and napkins. Kate tucked in the point of a slice, folded it New York style, and took an appreciative bite before sitting down. Castle distributed the glasses and joined her. He handed her a napkin to dab at a trickle of sauce tinted oil on her chin. "Get any leads on the case?"

"Not much," Kate admitted. "Nothing very useful from video or the canvass, except we think we're looking for a white male about six feet and a hundred and eighty pounds. That doesn't trim our suspect pool much. We're waiting on Perlmutter, CSU, and records from Rikers. I'm hoping we'll have something early tomorrow. Did you get anything from Alex's notes?"

Castle pulled a piece of pepperoni that had passed the border from crisp to burned off the pizza, but didn't pick up a slice. "Too much. Kate, he had enough for a series of books, or more like a series on pay cable. He wasn't looking at the prisoners, he was looking at prison staff. But he wasn't writing about the regular prison, except tangentially. He was investigating the mental health facility and a whole string of abuses, a lot of them having to do with the diversion of drugs meant to treat genuinely ill prisoners. Kate, if even half of what he had is true, it's a travesty. Some of the people he's writing about would be worse than unhappy to see the story hit the mainstream. The problem is, he refers to everyone just by initials. There are over 10,000 people on staff at Rikers and Bill DeBlaze put in a bunch more before he resigned. Even just cutting it down to the number of people who have some sort of interaction with mental health, it's huge. Alex did do a few chapters where he described people involved. Those would have been fictionalized, but possibly still pretty close to the mark, the way Roach in Nikki Heat is a lot like Ryspo. If we could find someone who really knows the place, who could match a few characters with their real life counterparts, it would help a lot."

"Castle, we do have some of those records," Kate realized. "Remember when Gary McCallister transferred to the general population so Hal Lockwood could take him out, we investigated all the prison officials, looking at their financials. The results of that investigation are still in the case files. They're outdated, but if some of those people are still around, we might get lucky."

"Are the records digital?" Castle asked. "Because if they are, we could run a search for names that match the initials."

Kate shook her head in disgust. "Babe, you've gone through enough records to know better than that. We have to archive those files forever. With the constant change in formats, we couldn't do that digitally. It's all paper files in cardboard boxes. It's a long shot, but if you'll put together a list of initials to look for, I can can get a uni to supervise and put some our volunteers to going through the records."

"I think this volunteer is going to join them. I probably read faster than any of them and I need to get the story so I can keep my agreement with Gina, I promised her a book based on Alex's research and I've only got three months to do it." Castle confessed.

Kate put down her pizza to reach for his hand. "Oh Babe, you think you can do that?"

Castle shrugged. "I made the deal. If I'm going to continue my relationship with Black Pawn, I'm going to have to."


	21. Chapter 21

Life Goes On

Chapter 21

Kate snuggled into the curve of Castle's body as she pulled the comforter up over both of them. She could feel the tension in his arms as they encircled her midsection. "Babe, what's wrong? Is it Alex's death?"

"That's part of it," Castle admitted. "It is a loss to me, a loss to his family, and a loss to the literary world. But it brings into focus how complicated things are going to be. Even after we solve this case, I'll be working on the book, and I mean working hard. You'll still be working on unraveling the problems at Rikers, along with everything else on your project list. You'll be picking up a law class at Columbia come January and we'll be remodeling so we can have a nursery next to the bedroom. Then before the baby comes we'll have to figure out exactly how we can take the best care of it and still cope with our professional obligations. That's a lot on both our plates."

Kate turned in his arms to face him. "Babe, you're the one who always says we can work everything out and it's going to be great. I'm usually the one who obsesses on the downside. Why the role reversal?"

"I'd say it's been a really bad day, but it started before that," Castle confessed. "It all started coming home to me when you won the election, how different things are going to be. Not bad, just different. But then Alex was dead. He was so young Kate. He had so much ahead of him and now he's just gone. And at the conclave, I was discussing with the other writers, how to tweak plot lines to attract shippers without putting off male readers, and it all seemed trivial and crass. Then when I realized that what bothered Gina most about Alex's death was making sure she got the next book, well it all sort of threw a shadow on my usual sunny outlook. I'm sorry. The last thing I want is to bring down the mother to be."

Kate pressed her face against his, their minds melding with the touch of their foreheads. "Castle, it's all right. We've been through more changes in the past couple of years than most couples face in a lifetime, a lot of them my fault, and you've rolled with all of it. You're entitled to a down moment or two. Ooh!"

"What?" Castle asked anxiously.

"It was like, I don't know, like a butterfly inside of me. Oh, there it is again. That was bigger than a butterfly."

Castle pressed a hand to her belly. "Yeah I can feel a little of something. It's supposed to be too early for you to be able to feel a kick, but it seems like junior may be precocious. It is a family trait. Many a criminal has been brought down by your lovely legs, Alexis kicked a bit early too, and to hear tell Mother tell it, I never gave her a moment's peace during her entire pregnancy. But that may be as apocryphal as her going into labor on the subway. Here, snuggle up against me."

Lovingly cradling the firm globes of her behind, Castle pulled her abdomen tightly against his. "Now we can feel any flailing feet together. Maybe we ought to watch a Hard Kill marathon, give our little martial artist a good example."

"Castle I think we can put that off for a while," Kate decided. "I don't need any Lance DeLorca roundhouses. But you seem to be feeling better."

Castle kissed the top of Kate's head. "I am. I was immersed in so much death, I needed a reminder of the circle of life. And I couldn't have asked for a better one."

* * *

After Marissa Conrad formally identified Alex's body, Kate settled her in the interrogation lounge. "It was really nice of your husband to come get me from the airport," Marissa remarked. "Alex really looked up to him as a friend and a mentor."

"Rick was very fond of him too," Kate responded. "He's working with us to solve his murder. Now Marissa, I know this is a really hard time, but did Alex tell you anything that might have indicated who would be angry enough at him to want to beat him to death?"

"Alex didn't tell me that much about his work. He wouldn't even let me read any of his books until they came out," Marissa confided. "He was nervous about coming back to New York, though. He had been receiving death threats on twitter. He blocked them and reported them as abuse."

"Did he contact the FBI?" Kate queried. "Sending death threats is a federal offense."

"He did," Marissa confirmed, "but they didn't do much about it. Apparently for anyone with any celebrity at all, death threats on Twitter are pretty common. I mean people send them if they don't like the way a relationship is going on a TV show. It's crazy, and they don't have the manpower to keep up with all of them. They told Alex that most of the posters are just idiots blowing off steam who wouldn't even know how to find the celebrities they threaten."

"Right," Kate declared grimly. "Would you remember the name of the agent in charge of Alex's case?"

"You know, normally I'm terrible with names," Marissa confessed, "but when Alex told me about her, it struck me as funny, because it was the name of Robin Strasser's character on _One Life to Live_ , Dorian Lord. It stuck in my mind because Dorian had an affair with character played by an actor who looked kind of like a young version of your husband. Yeah, it was Special Agent Dorian Lord."

"Alright, I will reach out to Agent Lord and see what I can find out. Would you like an officer to run you back over to your hotel?" Kate offered.

"No thanks," Marissa declined. "I need to sign some kind of paperwork at Black Pawn and I want to take a walk to clear my head first. I'm told Alex's publisher there, Gina Cowell can be quite formidable."

"That's one word for it," Kate muttered. Kate handed Marissa her card. "If you think of anything or just need anything, give me a call."

Marissa gave a tiny nod. "You husband made the same offer. You are both very kind and I know Alex would appreciate it."

Kate nodded to L.T. who escorted Marissa from the precinct. Kate pulled out her cell phone. "Special Agent Dorian Lord, huh? Well you sure dropped the ball on this one." she grumbled to herself. Kate called the highest contact at the FBI she knew, Assistant Director Anthony Freedman.

* * *

Castle sucked on a fingertip, cut for the third time on the edge of an N.Y.P.D. file folder. It contained a list of healthcare workers at Rikers Island, but they were not city employees. All the health services at Rikers had been provided by Core Zone Super Care. As Castle recalled from the scandal surrounding the company, their care had been anything but super. At least two inmates had died on their watch and there were many more cases to be investigated. Before his resignation, Bill DeBlaze had announced his intention to find a new provider, but hadn't had time before he left office. It all tracked with what Castle had read in Alex's notes. He had outlined an evil healthcare entity extending it's tentacles into the prison, with corrupt managers and underpaid staff. Had Castle given Alex a critique, he would have pegged the situation as overly melodramatic. But now it seemed that Alex may have been required to do little, if any, embellishment on reality. It was possible that the former mayor had just scratched the surface of Core Zone's offenses and Alex had been about to blow the whole sordid situation wide open. For Core Zone, that would have meant not only the loss of millions of dollars of revenue from Rikers, but from other prisons across the country. It looked like the case embodied two of Cannell's primary motives: greed and covering up a crime, or in this instance, many crimes.


	22. Chapter 22

Life Goes On

Chapter 22

It took Kate a few tries to get through to Assistant Director Anthony Freedman. In between, she received a call from Castle detailing what he'd found relating to Core Zone, adding additional ammunition to her cause.

When Freedman did take her call, she was fully prepared. "Kate Beckett, I remember you well," she was finally greeted.

"Sir, I hope that's a positive," Kate responded. "I have a case here in New York with possible wide reaching implications. It has a connection to a matter assigned to one of your agents, a Dorian Lord."

"I'm sorry, Kate," Freedman responded. "As you are well aware, it is impossible for me to be acquainted with every agent in the bureau and that name doesn't ring a bell. To what matter are you referring?"

"The murder of Alex Conrad. Dorian Lord was investigating death threats against him. From the information I've received so far, in what would appear to be a disastrous error in judgment, she did not consider the matter with pursuing. It has come out that Conrad was conducting an investigation of his own, into corruption in health services at Rikers Island and possibly other prisons across the country. As an up and coming author, Alex Conrad was a public figure and the interstate nature of this case does bring it even further into FBI territory," Kate pointed out. "I'm sure you don't have time to follow local news, Director, but I am soon to take office as Public Advocate in New York City. Even without Alex's murder, this type of corruption is very much my concern and will be under investigation. This case will be kept in front of the media until I consider it to have reached a satisfactory conclusion."

Freedman did not miss Kate's implication. "Yes, I understand, and congratulations on your election. I will have Agent Lord tracked down and put in touch with you."

"I'll be expecting her call," Kate replied.

Hearing the sound of applause. Kate looked up to see Castle standing in the doorway of her office. "Well played. You seem to be rapidly picking up the skills needed for political office."

Kate sighed as she placed her cell phone back on her desk. "I'm not sure that's a compliment, but in this case, I hope so. What are you doing here, Babe?"

Castle held up two band aid wrapped fingers. "I needed a break from the file flood and I wanted to see you. Kate, I gave the financials of some of the lower placed staff, especially any that were associated with healthcare, a second look. The first time, we were looking for a large infusion of cash, the bribe to get McCallister into the general population so Lockwood could slit his throat. This time I was looking for smaller ones, but steady over time. I found them Kate. A number of the guards and other prison workers were getting a few hundred dollars a month that can't be accounted for. The deposits were in cash and never big enough to catch the eye of the banks or the IRS, but they would have been enough to pay for a decent car or to put away for a kid's education. My guess is that those people were either looking the other way while drugs were diverted to prisoners who could pay for them, or that it was hush money to cover up for sick prisoners receiving no treatment at all."

"Or both," Kate speculated. "If those payments are going to be traced back to Core Zone, we'll need the records of Bill DeBlaze's investigation. He probably turned them over to Letitia Jones. From what I've been able to gather from the political grapevine, as Public Advocate, she was the one pushing the investigation in the first place."

"You should go see her," Castle suggested. "You're about to take the job she had until recently. A briefing on Core Zone would, if nothing else, be part of an orderly transition. Denise, Bob Weldon's old secretary is still at the mayor's office. You could give her a call, or I could."

"I'm not sure I'd want you to, Castle," Kate teased. "As I recall, she had a major crush on you."

"As did so many," Castle replied smugly, "but cool your jets, Kate. She married one of Weldon's aides, Joshua Mortimer. They have a daughter, Amber Rose. Adorable kid. I think she's going to preschool with Sarah Grace."

Kate gazed at her husband in astonishment. "Castle, how do you keep track of stuff like that?"

"It's part of parental instinct," Castle explained. "You know how you see pregnant women everywhere, now that you're pregnant?"

"Uh huh," Kate acknowledged.

"It's kind of the same when you're a parent. You're interested in kids, everyone's kids. You'll find out," Castle predicted. "When Junior is born, and probably even before, everywhere you look you'll see nothing but babies."

"Well that's a step up from seeing either piles of paperwork or potential murderers everywhere I look," Kate decided.

"And speaking of seeing babies, aren't you scheduled for an ultrasound?" Castle reminded her. "If Junior is kicking already they might be able to tell us whether we can get more specific than just saying Junior. Unless you don't want to know. We haven't talked about it, but I can't imagine the indefatigably curious Kate Beckett wanting to be in the dark about anything, for about another five months."

"Talk about indefatigably curious. That's kind of pot and kettle, isn't it Castle?" Kate needled. "I suspect you want to know as much, if not more, than I do."

"Guilty as charged," Castle admitted, "but mostly I want to be sure that both you and Junior are healthy. So isn't your appointment tomorrow? I want to go with you."

"You know it is Castle. I saw you put it into your phone. It's also circled on the calendar in your office," Kate noted. "And of course you can go with me. I won't be taking an official vehicle. You can even drive."

Castle put a hand to his head, mocking shock. "Now I really need to make sure you're healthy. Tell you what. I'll call Denise and see if she can get us in to see Letitia Jones. We could go green and combine trips."

"Okay Castle, you let me know what you set up." Kate pointed to her overflowing in box. "I need to get back to the salt mines."

"My cue to leave." Castle was on his way out, but turned back when he heard the familiar ring tone of Kate's phone.

Kate scanned the caller I.D.. "That was fast. FBI." She put the phone on speaker. "This is Captain Beckett."

An annoyed voice filled the room. "Special Agent Dorian Lord, Captain. I was instructed to contact you."

Kate ignored Lord's tone of voice. "Yes Agent Lord. My people are investigating the murder of Alex Conrad. I am told that you were the agent in charge of investigating the threats on his life."

"Captain," Lord protested. "Conrad's death is not my fault. We have thousands of cases like that and I had nothing actionable to proceed on."

"Agent Lord, we're way past assigning blame here," Kate returned. "Right now my priority is to determine what was behind Alex Conrad's death and catch his killer. So I'll need any information you were able to gather, and I need it yesterday."

"Very well, Captain," Lord agreed reluctantly."I'll email you the file, but you won't find anything there."

Kate's eyes narrowed in impatience. "You let me worry about that, Agent Lord. Just send it."

Kate cut off the call. "Nothing actionable. Wasn't that the excuse for not doing anything about the intelligence that Al Queda wanted to crash planes into the World Trade Center?" Castle questioned in disgust.

"Castle, even after my short tenure with the FBI, I saw enough to say that you have no idea how much that is an excuse for. We'll just have to be the ones taking action," Kate declared.

Castle stepped forward to caress her cheek. "And when have we ever done anything else?"


	23. Chapter 23

Life Goes On

Chapter 23

Castle impatiently drummed his hands on the wheel as a garbage truck crawled along in front of him. Kate glanced at the clock on the dash. "We'll make it, Castle. We have plenty of time. You shooed me out of the office at least half an hour early."

"Looks like I was prescient," Castle rebutted, wincing at the crunch of compressing trash as the truck crushed its newest acquisitions. "We aren't going to make much progress behind that thing."

"It will probably turn off on a side street soon," Kate encouraged. "There isn't anything to be picked up in the next few blocks. Hey Castle, I feel fine. There's nothing to worry about. And it might still be a little early to tell the sex of the baby. I don't want you to get all excited, just to be disappointed."

"Kate, believe me, after years of Ryan interruptus, I'm used to it," Castle groused. "At least as Public Advocate you won't be on corpse call twenty-four seven."

"That's true," Kate acknowledged, the corners of her mouth tugging upwards. She rubbed her palms over her belly. "But there will be other calls on our time."

"We'll be okay," Castle insisted. "We have months to go yet and I've been getting in some refresher time with Nicholas Javier. I've got my baby whisperer mojo back. He loves me. And you'd also be amazed at what you can accomplish with crib toys and a musical mobile. Easier than shutting up Esposito, anyway."

"Well unless you do it the way Lanie did, almost anything is easier than shutting up Esposito," Kate opined. The slow moving obstacle swung wide for a turn. "See Castle, I told you that thing would be out of our way, but if you're going to be this jumpy, next time we're going back to having me drive."

"Ah, the badass Beckett returns," Castle observed. "I was beginning to wonder if the fairies had switched you in the night."

Kate blew him a raspberry.

* * *

"You want to see?" Dr. Gershon asked as she picked up the wand to begin her scan. Kate had mixed feelings. She had missed too many seminal moments in her life to turn away from this one, but she was also more nervous than she wanted to admit. Not trusting herself to speak, she just nodded at Masha Gershon, who turned a monitor so Kate could see it.

"I want to see too," Castle interjected with a hint of petulance.

Masha smiled in amusement at the father to be, who hadn't had a still moment since he entered the office. "Fine, Mr. Castle, just come around behind me." Castle had seen ultrasounds before and didn't expect the image to look much like a baby, but he watched in fascination as Gershon scanned through the layers and views of the baby and the readouts of measurements appeared on the screen. Masha stopped for a moment. "Do you want to know the sex of your child?" she asked.

"Absolutely," Castle proclaimed.

Masha looked at Kate who managed to force a "yes" from her throat."

"All signs point to a girl," Masha announced, "and everything else looks good. The head is normal size."

"Considering the father, that's amazing," Kate joked, still fighting the emotional impact of picturing their own baby girl.

Castle grinned. "I will ignore that canard in appreciation of the joy of this moment. A mini Kate. I can't wait."

"Well you're going to have to, Mr. Castle," Gershon reminded him. "She's got a lot of growing to do and every day in utero is precious to development. So Kate, I'm going to give you a list of activities that you should moderate or avoid. That goes especially for anything where you might be risking a fall. Kate I know you're into sparring, but this is definitely not the time to be slammed into a mat. No visits to anywhere above six thousand feet. You should eat well and I know this is the hard one for you, get enough rest. You may feel a burst of energy and want to take care of everything in the universe, but when your body tells you to slow down, listen. Are you hearing me?"

"Yes, Doctor," Kate responded meekly, drawing a look of utter surprise from Castle, who had been considering how he might secure her to their bed.

"Alright then. I will see you in a month. I don't have many patients who've had three bullets in them, Kate, so if you have any symptoms or concerns before then, you call, day or night. If I'm not available, I'll always have an associate who is. The nurse will give you some wipes to get the gel off and you can pick up your paperwork when you're ready."

Gershon left the room as a nurse stepped in. "I'll wait outside," Castle said. He would have loved to be able to assure Masha Gershon that he'd make sure Kate would behave herself, but he knew that would be impossible. He could bribe and cajol, but Kate would do what Kate would do. He'd just have to make sure that the opportunities to make the best choices were available to her. If nothing else, that meant helping on the case as much as possible, which would aid him in speeding through finishing Alex's book as well.

* * *

"We have time for lunch before your appointment with Mayor Jones," Castle noted as Kate slid into the passenger seat of his new Mercedes. He'd bought it in anticipation of needing something more roomy than his Ferrari to accommodate a baby seat.

Kate quickly scanned her email on her phone, growling. "Dorian Lord sent me the file she promised, but just looking at the size of it, she didn't do much work." Kate quickly downloaded the PDF and scrolled through it. "Correction, no work. All that is here are copies of tweets. No origin traces, no nothing. She was right about one thing. They are vague. This one is from a Birdysbro telling Alex to quit or he'll end it once and for all. They're all pretty similar. The death threat is implied but not quite stated."

"The brother of someone named Birdy?" Castle wondered. "We could work with that. And Twitter won't set up an account without an email. She didn't even try to check on the ownership of Birdysbro?"

"Looks like not, Castle. We can do that and see if it leads anywhere. But you were saying something about lunch. Isn't there a rib joint on the way to the mayor's office?"

"Feel like using your teeth to rip some meat off the bone? A surrogate for a lazy FBI agent perhaps?" Castle speculated.

"That too," Beckett admitted. "It infuriates me when people are so sanguine about being lax at their jobs, especially when someone's life might be on the line. But I really want the barbecue sauce, something sweet and spicy with a tang of acid."

"Sweet and spicy with a tang of acid," Castle repeated. "You could just look in the mirror for that one. But yeah, Freak Out Ribs is right on our route. I can call ahead to make sure they're ready with something for you to tear into, with all the spice you and baby girl desire. I'll have them put together a special platter. I know a guy."

Kate chuckled, rolling her eyes, as Castle had the car link to his cell. "Of course you do, Castle. I wouldn't expect anything else."


	24. Chapter 24

Life Goes On

Chapter 24

Kate rubbed at the corner of her mouth. "Castle, are you sure I've got it all off?"

Castle pushed a stray hair that had drifted toward her lips back behind her ear, "Your sauciness is now entirely internal, although I look forward to experiencing it again later. Besides, Kate, from what Bob Weldon told me, Letitia is very down to earth. The last thing she'd worry about is what you had for lunch, unless you were being wined and dined by some corporate leeches. You're going to be fine." They walked into Letitia Jones' office together.

Letitia Jones was an accomplished woman, but she didn't put her background on display. Her diplomas from college and law school were not on the wall of her office. There were no publicity pictures from the many cases she had successfully closed as a district attorney, or records of the legislation she'd pushed through as public advocate. There were pictures of family, including a graduation picture of her son, with Letitia smiling proudly. Cabinets and tables held a few quirky knick knacks including an angel with slightly crooked wings, obviously crafted by young hands. Her desk was piled with files and Letitia's mocha cream face was behind no nonsense dark-rimmed glasses. "So Captain Beckett," she began without introductory small talk, "you want to discuss the situation with Core Zone and Rikers."

"I do," Kate confirmed, "especially as it might relate to the death of Alex Conrad. He was investigating the corruption there and its effect on the health of the prisoners." Kate inclined her head toward Castle. "My husband has picked up Conrad's aegis to put the story out there in novel form."

Letitia nodded slowly. "That's good Mr. Castle. I have enjoyed your novels from time to time when I've had a spare moment. More to the point, more people are likely to read one of your fictionalized stories than are to read a newspaper account these days. I wish you every success in your project. But to the crux of the Core Zone matter and providing proper healthcare at Rikers. I think you will find no shortage of victims. Many of the Core Zone employees were underpaid to the point of qualifying for food stamps. The prisoners were caught in the cascade effect of those workers trying to survive. I'm sure you are aware that to a large extent, Rikers is a warehouse for not only the mentally ill, but the learning disabled and those with undiagnosed visual and hearing impairments that have kept them from functioning in society. If our educational system was up to snuff, those problems could have been caught and addressed both more cheaply and more effectively before it was necessary for anyone to end up behind bars. But I imagine I'm preaching to the choir."

"I will admit that I'm still on the lower end of the learning curve," Kate confided. "But I will do my best to improve the situation any way I can when I take over the office you so ably held. Right now, one of my tasks as Captain of the Twelfth Precinct is to help my detectives solve Alex Conrad's murder. Now in the course of your investigation, did you run across anyone who would be so angry at Alex for exposing what was going on at Rikers that they'd beat him to death for it? I would think if this were just the removal of a corporate obstacle, we'd be looking more at a bullet in the brain or even an unexplained disappearance."

Letitia took a moment to consider. "You have been in the trenches of murder investigation more than I have, Captain. I imagine you both have. But given my experience as a D.A., I've experienced two reasons why someone would kill in such a violent manner. One would be if they were drugged out on meth or PCP and not in control of what they were doing. I would assume you don't believe that to be the case in this instance."

"No," Kate agreed. "This killer knew how to avoid leaving evidence behind. That would have been almost impossible if he was in a drug frenzy."

"So that leaves a deep emotional involvement," Letitia continued. "Your killer may have believed that Alex was doing severe damage either to him or someone he cares about. Of course I'm just speculating."

"No, I think you're on the right track," Castle put in. "I discovered that many of the Rikers employees involved were receiving small but reliable supplementary income from Core Zone's activities. Say that income was essential for some purpose for a loved one, perhaps an uninsured medical expense. Captain Beckett and I have run up against that kind of thing before. Kate, do you remember Brady, who confessed to a murder he didn't commit in return for money to pay for treatment for his son?"

Kate put a hand on her husband's arm."I remember, Castle. And Dorian Lord's suspect, Birdysbro, could have been involved in something like that, where his payments would have stopped if Alex blew the lid off the scandal. He might have even lost his job. Remember you said Alex looked resigned? Perhaps he knew what he'd stepped into and wasn't surprised to see his killer."

Letitia's face broke unexpectedly into a wide grin. "I'm beginning to see first hand how the strange partnership between the two of you works. Looks like you're getting a handle on this." Letitia consulted her watch. "But right now unless you need anything further from me, I have a couple of city council members I need to placate. You can always contact Denise again if you have any more questions. I promise I will be as responsive as possible. And Mr. Castle. I wouldn't mind an invitation to your poker games either. Bob Weldon told me he picked up many a useful idea there - when he wasn't busy losing his shirt."

Castle rose with Kate and stuck out his hand for Letitia to shake. "Agreed. A seat at the table will be yours, Madam Mayor."

"So Castle," Kate reiterated once they were back in the car, "now all we have to do is find one of your prison employees who was on the take and is the brother of someone named Birdy who has some kind of problem."

"I think by 'we' you mean me," Castle responded. "This sounds like a return to the land of dusty boxes and paper cuts. Perhaps with the addendum of updated computer searches. This isn't going to be easy. Usually the records don't include the names of siblings. 'Bro' might be metaphorical and Birdy a nickname."

"This isn't all on you, Castle," Kate reminded him. "There is still the ownership of that Twitter account. We may need a warrant to get the email account associated with it from Twitter and another one for the ISP to trace it down, but I can push the warrants through. And there is the factor that we know the killer is probably a six foot male. We'll be going at this from two different angles. One way or another something is going to pop."

"Just let Ryan and Espo do the grunt work," Castle counseled. "The one thing we don't want popping too soon is Cosmina."

Kate stared at him in confusion. "What? Or should I ask who? Cosmina?"

"Baby girl," Castle replied. "Feminine for Cosmo. It means order and beauty. What could better fit the daughter of Kate Beckett?"

"Castle," Kate declared, "we are not naming our daughter Cosmina. It sounds like a Disney princess."

"And what's wrong with Disney princesses?" Castle inquired. "But alright, if you don't like Cosmina, how about Johanna after your mother?"

Kate pursed her lips. "No, as much as it would honor my mother, I don't think I'd want to look at my daughter and remember Mom's murder. I'm sure the right name will come to us somehow, but in the meantime, can't we just refer to her as baby girl?"

Castle crinkled his nose. "Sounds too much like a character on _Criminal Minds_. How about just the initials, BG?"

Kate looked down, addressing the tiny denizen of her womb. "Okay, for now, BG you are."


	25. Chapter 25

Life Goes On

Chapter 25

Castle looked up from his computer when he heard Kate's key in the lock. Kate plopped down on the couch as Castle went to meet her in the great room. "Can you pull my boots off, please?" she requested grumpily, sticking her legs out straight in front of her.

"Wow! You haven't asked me to do that since we were imprisoned by the tiger smugglers." Castle stroked the soft leather of the high heeled footwear and pulled at a metal zipper. "Much as it pains me to suggest it, Kate, you might think about flats, or at least something a little less uplifting. It would be easier on your back, and more to the point, there'd be less chance that you'd trip. You know what the doctor said about falling."

Kate nodded. "I know, Castle. It's just that the height gives me, you know, an air of authority."

"Kate you'd have that in anything - well maybe not Crocs," Castle teased. "It is sort of hard to look up to someone wearing rainbow rubber." Kate choked at a mental image of an act that had nothing to do with feet. Reddening, Castle covered his mouth with his hand. "That really wasn't the train of thought I meant to get into, at least not when you're this out of sorts. So I take it things did not go well in searching out the owner of the offending Twitter account."

Kate massaged the toes Castle had freed from confinement. "No. The ISP gave us the owner of the email, but it was all phony. It was funded with one of those pre-paid credit cards, purchased with cash. The name and address led nowhere. If tracking down online death threats is like this, I'm beginning to understand why Dorian Lord didn't even bother to try, although I'm still not excusing her. She had to have other avenues to pursue." Kate pulled herself up against the cushions. "Have you found anything?"

Castle carefully lined up Kate's boots next to each other, before standing. "Maybe. I went back over the records of the six foot tall guards who looked like they were on the take. There really wasn't much written information about family, even online. But I checked out images. People are always posting pictures now. That was more productive. Shall I bring you my laptop or do you want to come into the office?"

Kate pushed herself up to stand in her stocking clad feet. "Castle, I'm pregnant, not incapacitated. I'll come and have a look."

Castle's screen saver had already begun to flow with admonitions that he should be writing. He cleared it to bring up the image he had been examining. "This is a guard named Rockne Berquist. Here, I'm zooming in on the tattoo on his arm. What does that look like to you?"

Kate squinted at the screen. "It looks kind of like a bird, Castle, but amateurish, like a kid drew it."

"A kid, maybe a younger sister?" Castle proposed. "We need more background on this guy, Kate. I checked, he's not at the prison anymore and they didn't have any forwarding information. You have access to databases I don't, like the DMV, at least unless Hayley hacks in. Ryan and Espo are both really good at that kind of thing. Can you get them to track the birdman down? It's not like Rockne Berquist is exactly a common name."

"That's if he's still using it," Kate pointed out, "but yeah Castle, this is good. It's a lot more than we had before. I'll put them on it in the morning. Right now BG wants peanut butter."

"With or without jelly?" Castle inquired.

"Do we have any marshmallow fluff?" Kate asked. "I've had fluffernutters in my head for the last hour. I'm not even sure where I heard about them. I think I remember my father saying something about making them for my mother."

Castle thought for a moment, unconsciously pushing back his hair. "I think we've got a jar of marshmallow crème. Alexis and Hayley were over here one night while you were working late and they used it to make a couple of truly amazing super sundaes. Would that work? Or is this the start of the late night pregnant wife cravings runs? I think I saw fluff at the warehouse store, but the jar was big enough to last through six pregnancies - not that you can't have it anyway if you want it."

"I'll try going with the crème, Castle," Kate decided. "Thinking about one BG at a time is enough. Can you add bananas and grill it? I think that's what I recall my father talking about doing."

Castle shrugged. "Whatever BG wants. Maybe I'll make a straight up peanut butter and banana and join you." Castle turned up his collar and quirked one side of his mouth. "Thank you very much," he drawled in his best Elvis Presley. "That combination was the King's favorite."

"Just so so you don't need to wear sequins to eat it," Kate quipped.

Castle buttered and grilled their respective sandwiches and trying to follow Dr. Gershon's instructions as best as could could, also blended frozen strawberries with skim milk to make a shake for Kate, hoping to achieve some semblance of nutrition. Castle carefully laid the food out on the dining table.

"Castle, it would have been fine to eat these at the counter," Kate pointed out. "They're not exactly formal dining."

"No more sitting on high stools for you," Castle declared. "I don't want you sitting on one in the break room at the precinct either. You never know when a leg could give out and dump you on the floor."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Castle, don't you think you're getting just a little carried away?"

"Kate, you've been shot three times and there wasn't a damn thing I could do to prevent it. But something as simple as putting plates on the table, I can do. So if you think I'm getting carried away about the safety of my wife and child, fine. Guilty as charged. But you're not going to talk me out of it."

Her hand still warm from her sandwich, Kate cupped his cheek. "Castle I'm not even going to try. I think it's sweet. But you cooked, I'm going to help you clean up. No trip and fall hazard there. I'll wash. You dry. Then maybe we can follow doctor's orders and take a little - nap."

"Were you talking about resting?" Castle wondered.

Kate caught his lips in a sticky sweet and salty kiss."Eventually."

Hours later, Castle gazed at his sleeping wife. To his eyes, she couldn't have looked more perfect. Her hair seemed even thicker and richer than usual, although the roots were a warm brown color instead of the honey gold that had been her preference for the last couple of years. Her breasts were slightly fuller, a change of not even a cup size, but definitely growing. They invited his touch and taste for the time remaining while he would still have no competition for their sweetness. Her belly had the gentlest of curves. He found it exciting, but Kate had yet to become comfortable with it, always priding herself on the rock hardness of her abs. He had no doubt that as soon as BG was born, she would do her damnedest to get that hardness back, but for now, the swell of new life would overcome it. It wasn't just a matter of stools at the counter. He would do anything - anything - for Kate and the child she carried. Right now that was helping to solve a murder. He had no idea what it might be next.


	26. Chapter 26

Life Goes On

Chapter 26

Castle carried a tray into the bedroom bearing freshly squeezed orange juice accompanied by a waffle with kiwi eyes, a strawberry nose, and a chocolate chip grin. Kate opened her eyes and groaned. "Babe, what time is it?"

"Eight o'clock, Kate. I didn't disturb you because I thought you'd wake up any minute on your own, like you usually do," Castle confessed. "But aren't you usually in your office before nine?"

Kate hurriedly kicked back the covers. "You know I am, Castle. I don't know if I have time to eat that."

"Make time," Castle insisted. "You can always call Ryan and Espo from here and get them going on Berquist."

Kate grabbed her cell from the bedside table. "Yeah, I'll do that now." She popped a chip in her mouth while she waited for Esposito to pick up. Then she gave him his instructions.

Castle nodded approvingly as Kate picked up a fork. "Aren't you eating Babe?" Kate asked, spearing her strawberry.

"Don't really feel like it," Castle confided. "While we've been waiting to fill in the details on Alex's story, I've been trying to get in some work on my literary opus. That's what I was doing while you slept in."

"You don't look that happy about it," Kate observed. "And it's not like you to lose your appetite. How's it going?"

"It's hard," Castle confided. "I thought it would be cathartic, you know? When I write my characters. I jump into them, I feel what they're feeling, I hear the dialogue in my head. But with Storm, with Rook, that's fantasy. It's escape, or it's fixing what went wrong in real life. That's a high. This book is just the opposite. The loneliness, the fear of being left, it's like I'm there and I'm living through it again. The first time Mother left me and didn't come back for weeks, I was terrified. I felt sick. I wasn't the best behaved kid and I thought I had done something to drive her away. I wasn't sure she was coming back. After a while I sort of got used to it, but there was always that little voice inside my head telling me I'd been so bad this time that she really would leave me. So I've always tried to hold on too tight, like I did with Alexis. But when people I love leave..."

"Like I did," Kate put in softly.

"Like you did," Castle agreed, "I've always felt like it was my fault, even when I found out otherwise, like Meredith cheating on me, or you trying to protect me from LokSat. And as the character in my book starts out as a scared little boy, I'm reliving it all."

Kate reached up to take his hand. "Castle, are you sure you want to go through all that, especially now? You have Alex's book to finish. That should be painful enough."

Castle sat on the edge of the bed, supporting his unshaven jaw in his hand. "Kate I have to. For one thing I feel like I'm growing out of Storm and Nikki Heat. I tried escaping from life for so long and it just didn't work. Then it was all almost over even before it had really started. But now you are moving ahead and I feel like I should too."

"Castle, don't tell me you're actually growing up?" Kate worried. "I don't think I could handle that."

Castle couldn't repress the smile that pushed at his lips. "I wouldn't go that far. I've still got levels to achieve in Terra Quest, not to mention winning the cosplay competition at the next Novacon. And someone has to make stupid faces to make BG giggle. But I will be putting my inner child to better use than gun battles and car chases. And," he added, "your inner child wants you to finish that waffle."

Kate stuck her fork in a slice of kiwi. "Castle, I think having you play the adult in the room is going to take some getting used to."

* * *

Kate stretched in her office chair, pushing away her latest stack of papers. "Captain," Esposito called from the doorway, "I think we've got a line on Berquist."

Kate joined Ryan and Esposito at the murder board, where a picture of the suspect guard was posted. "Looks like he's trying to move, Captain," Ryan explained. "A real estate management company ran a credit check. I called them and got the contact for the manager of the building he's trying to move into. She had a number for him. I talked her into calling him in. She told him there's paperwork to sign. He's meeting her at the rental office this afternoon, and Javi and I will go over and bring him in. Do want in on the questioning? Maybe Castle too, since he tagged the guy."

"I do," Kate confirmed, "and I think Castle will also. Berquist may provide the climax of the book he's finishing for Alex Conrad."

* * *

Berquist's face was damp with sweat, his hair plastered to his forehead. His chair creaked as he constantly shifted his weight. Even though he had not been formally arrested or read his Miranda rights, Kate expected him to ask for a lawyer at any moment, but he sat silently just staring at the tattoo on his arm.

"That's an interesting tattoo Mr. Berquist," Castle observed mildly, "where did you get it?"

"My sister drew it and I had it tattooed," Berquist replied flatly.

"Mr. Berquist, there's no record of you having any siblings," Kate stated.

"My foster sister, Birdie," Berquist corrected. "Okay? We were in the same foster care, but she was much younger. I aged out and I went into the military. When I was discharged, I got a job in corrections. She wasn't that lucky."

"Mr. Berquist, you said 'was'," Kate observed, "Did something happen to your sister?"

Berquist slammed his fist on the table. "I thought I was here about Rikers. Why are you asking about my sister?"

"Just answer the captain's question," Esposito commanded.

"My sister is dead!" Berquist rasped, his throat seeming to contract at his words. "Sonofabitch father at the foster home couldn't keep his hands off her, always leering, making suggestive comments. She tried to stay out of his way the best way she could, but he never stopped. Then one afternoon, after she came home from school, he tried to do more than just talk. Birdie was painting. She had one of those cheap little water color sets with the little brushes with the pointy handles. He trapped her in a corner so she couldn't back away. Then he was on top of her. He outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds and was a foot taller. But she still had her paint brush and did the only thing she could do. She stabbed him with it. She didn't hurt him that much, just jabbed him in the thigh, but she got him off of her. Then he went crying to his wife that Birdie had gone crazy on him, that she'd come on to him, and when he pushed her away, she stabbed him. Birdie protested of course, saying he attacked her. But the wife took his side and fixed him up. She told Birdie that if she ever tried to accuse her husband of anything, she'd tell the police how violent Birdie was and she'd end up in Juvie.

"So Birdie ran away. She couldn't stay with me, they would have found her in a second. She found a crash pad with a couple of other kids, girls a little older than Birdie. I helped her out the best way I could."

"With money you took for looking the other way about drug sales in the prison?" Kate prompted.

"Yes," Berquist admitted. "But then Alex Conrad had to stick his big nose in. The city was already asking questions, but Alex was asking a lot more of them. And the money dried up. I still gave her as much as I could, but it wasn't enough. A pimp took control of the other girls and tried to put Birdie on the street too. When she refused, he beat her. One of the other girls came to get me, to try and get Birdie some help, but it was too late. The scumbag had beaten her to death. I tried to find him, but he was in the wind. Probably went into hiding with one of his other stables."

"So you went after Alex Conrad," Castle asserted.

"You have to understand," Berquist pleaded. "I hadn't been planning on killing him. I just sent tweets to make him feel afraid like she did. But then I just saw him go into a hotel. I didn't even know he was back in New York. But I saw him and something snapped. I had to get him. He had to suffer the way Birdie did. So I hung around the hotel and I watched and I waited. Then in the middle of the night he just strolls over to that deli and I knew I had my chance."

Kate wanted to take no chances of having Berquist's confession thrown out. "Mr. Berquist, at this point, we will have to place you under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney. If you desire an attorney and can not afford one, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you?"

"Of course I do," Berquist retorted with resignation as Esposito snapped cuffs on him. "I worked at a God damn prison! It doesn't matter anymore. Birdie is dead. Everything is gone. I told Conrad who I was. He understood. I gave him what he had coming. He died the way Birdie did, in his own blood."


	27. Chapter 27

Life Goes On

Chapter 27

"You okay Babe?" Kate asked Castle as Berquist was led off to holding.

Castle scrubbed his hand over his face. "I don't know. I just keep picturing Birdie as Alexis or a teenaged BG. The idea of the system just leaving girls helpless like that, it tears my guts out. I wonder if Berquist's lawyer will go for a diminished capacity defense. As much as I liked Alex Conrad, if I were on a jury, I might go along with it."

Kate laid a hand on his elbow. "I don't think it would fly, Castle. His lawyer would have to prove Berquist didn't know what he was doing at the time. But he did. He followed Alex. He even told him why. That means Berquist made a choice to kill Alex. A sympathetic D.A. might give him a second degree plea. Berquist would at least have some life left when he got out. But now we potentially have another murder on our hands. The pimp who killed Birdie is out there somewhere. We'll need to get with SVU. They may be after him already. They may even have collared him. I'll have to reach out to their captain and find out."

"I wonder how Alex would have written Birdie's part of the story into his book," Castle mused.

"How are you going to do it, Castle?" Kate asked.

Castle closed his eyes as the words formed in his mind."As another failure of the system, multiple failures really. There was the failure that put Birdie at the mercy of her foster father. There was the failure that kept that pimp on the street. And all those failures will need a courageous heroine to fight them, or a couple of heroines. I can put in a character based on Letitia. She'll pass the mantle to Nikki Heat, whose new fight for justice has just begun. But her experience in the N.Y.P.D. will have made Nikki deeper, grittier. And Jameson Rook will be there to chronicle the growth of her character." A realization struck him like a laser blast. "Kate, we're still going to be partners in crime as well as in life!" He paced for a moment as the thought sunk in. "A new direction for Nikki will help me maintain my relationship with Black Pawn too. That should keep Gina off my back, an exhilarating thought."

"Castle, are you going to be able to manage that with your literary project?" Kate wondered.

Castle nodded thoughtfully. "Kate, I think at least at the beginning, it may help to bring me some kind of balance. When one world gets too hard to slog through, I can live in the other one for a while. But the way I see it, you and I will both keep evolving. You won't be Public Advocate forever. You'll eventually go on to something even more momentous that may or may not fit with the character of Nikki Heat. I'll just keep moving too, at your side whatever happens. But for this moment, I'm going to leave your side to get all of this down. See you later?"

"See you later," Kate agreed.

* * *

Castle was stunned when he looked at the clock in the corner of his screen. He had been writing for hours. He'd started with the update of Alex's book, which would morph toward the end, into a Nikki Heat. He'd already updated Gina on the plan and she was euphoric at being able to promote the final meeting of the minds of her mystery authors. When he reached a stopping point, he went back to his literary project. then when that became too emotionally draining, switched back again. Unless Kate got caught up in something, she would be home at any moment and he hadn't even thought of food, not even his usual afternoon snack. He added one last sentence before hitting save, closed his laptop, and wandered across the loft to the refrigerator to see if it held any clues to a quick dinner.

Kate found him puzzling, standing in the flow of cold air. "Castle, if the loft is too warm, you could just turn down the heat."

He started at the sound of her voice."No, I was just trying to figure out if we had anything for supper."

"Really? Usually by this time you've figured out a grand plan. Usually too grand a plan. It is one of your more endearing qualities. You're not coming down with something?" She made a show of feeling his forehead. "No fever."

Castle captured the hand that was still touching his face and smiling, tucked a kiss into its palm. "I'm fine Kate. Better than fine. So much so that I lost track of time. Things really seem to be falling into place."

"More than you know, Castle. I talked to SVU. They knew all about Birdie's pimp and her murder. A couple of his girls turned him in. They are going to testify as eye witnesses to what he did. SVU has already picked him up. He will probably spend the rest of his life experiencing the wrong end of what he tried to sell."

"Poetic justice, I suppose," Castle commented. "It will make for a good story line. I just wish they'd gotten him off the streets earlier. Alex might still be alive. Still it's a lot better than if that dirt bag was still out there."

"Amen to that, Castle," Kate agreed. "So have you been struck by any inspiration staring at cold metal shelves, or do you want to order in?"

"We could go out," Castle suggested. "Once the baby comes, going out will be a major operation with lugging all the baby gear and making sure the restaurant is family friendly. That's going to knock a lot of dining delights off our list for a while. We should enjoy them while we can." Castle laughed as Kate's stomach rumbled a response. "So what is the pleasure of mother and child?"

Kate didn't even have to think, as fried chicken flashed into her brain and the words continued a path out of her mouth.

"I know just the place," Castle grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling in anticipation. "If you hadn't already had waffles today, I'd suggest a trip to Harlem for both, but for chicken neat, we don't even have to go very far. It's right in the East Village.

Kate's eyes lit up as she licked her lips. "I know the place you mean Castle. Good choice."

Castle offered his arm.

Kate inhaled deeply before sinking her teeth deeply into the perfectly browned crisp coating on a drumstick. "Mm." Kate finished most of the meat before poking her fork into some freshly made cole slaw. "Oh Castle, I was going to tell you. Jeffords' promotion has been approved. He'll be working with me for a couple of weeks so we can have a smooth transition, but then I'll be able to leave the Twelfth, knowing it's in good hands."

Castle dropped his own chicken to his plate in excitement. "Kate, that means you'll have Christmas free before you take office! And New Years! That's great! Last Christmas was terrible, I mean the way we were apart and everything. It was like Santa had pulled up a whole coal truck to dump a load in my stocking. But this year will make up for it. Wow! I need to order the tree. I hope I'm not too late for the really tall ones. And the garlands. And I'll get mother to come over and make her glug. No wait! BG can't have that. Doesn't matter. This is going to be fantastic!" Castle pulled Kate in for a savory kiss. "It's going to be the best Christmas ever!"


	28. Chapter 28

Life Goes On

Chapter 28

The party was taking off at The Old Haunt. It was a triple celebration. Carl Jeffords had received his promotion to captain and had taken over the command of the Twelfth, Kate had retired her shield and Victoria Gates had been promoted to Chief of Police. Kate and Gates were already working together informally to plot a better path for the N.Y.P.D., and when Kate took office, they could pursue their plan with the passion they shared.

In deference to Kate's love of D.J.'s, Castle had decided against bringing in a live band. Kate had carefully approved the play list, and the patter to accompany it was ably provided by one Jack Jackster, king of the airwaves of Paramus New Jersey. There was also a karaoke set up for use after the party-goers had downed a few more rounds of drinks. Esposito was eyeing it impatiently. At the last N.Y.P.D. Talent Competition, he and Ryan had given up their crown to of all people, Ethan Slaughter. Esposito still couldn't believe that the judges had gone for a rendition of _If I Only Had a Brain_ , and he was anxious to redeem himself.

Kate's pregnancy had yet to be announced beyond the Castles' small circle, and although silent, many of the cops for whom careful observation was second nature, had noted the change in wardrobe to looser clothes and the filling out of her curves. No doubt paparazzi would be no less sharp eyed. BG's presence would not remain confidential much longer.

Kate kept up appearances. Her club soda was adorned with slice of lime and a swizzle stick and could easily have been assumed to contain vodka. After making the circuits obligatory for host and hostess, she and Castle occupied a booth, where no one could see she had her shoes off under the table. Kate drummed her fingers on the scarred wooden surface in rhythm to the music, in between dipping tortilla chips in guacamole. Castle pulled a pad out of his pocket and began to scribble notes. "Got some new book ideas?" Kate inquired.

Castle began writing even faster. "Nope. Plans for Christmas. I know we both had a lot to cope with work and case wise. That's why I gave in when Mother suggested having Thanksgiving at her apartment. I thought that as busy as she is with her play, she'd have the whole thing catered. I had no idea she'd try to do the turkey herself. And the stuffing! You could have choked on the celery strings. About the only things that were edible were the cranberry sauce, which she mercifully got out of a can, the pies Alexis brought, and Hayley's trifle. So it is absolutely essential to redeem the family reputation for holiday celebrations, and we only have a few weeks to do it."

"Castle, what exactly did you have in mind?" Kate asked with some trepidation.

"Well Christmas Eve is already set as a Castle tradition. We can wipe away the memory of Mother's turkey with one of our own. I had been thinking about making a turducken, but it wouldn't have any bones and I wouldn't get to watch you get your mouth around a nice, hot, moist, meaty, member."

Kate almost spit up her drink. "Castle, we are talking about dinner here, right?"

"Among other things," Castle agreed. "But anyway, we can do our traditional meal, minus Mother's glug. I'm thinking mulled cider, just letting the scent of cinnamon and cloves float through the air. Then we can do the carol sing, with a contest for the best Christmas parody. Alexis is pretty good at those. She almost beat me one year, but she slanted a rhyme. That's an immediate disqualification. Then cuddling by the fire with hot chocolate and Christmas cookies. You might want to take a little nap, the close your eyes and lose consciousness kind, because at midnight we'll open the stockings. I thought we'd have one for BG too, get a head start on some of her toys for later."

Kate pulled the notebook out of his grasp and wrapped both of her own hands around his larger one. "No Castle. No stocking for BG. I feel like that would be tempting fate somehow, daring God to throw us a curve ball. You can buy out the Baby Boutique after she's born, but not now, okay?"

Disappointment flared in Castle's eyes, but he kissed her lightly on the cheek. "Sure, if that's the way you feel about it, presents for BG can wait. But you, the love of my life, will receive trinkets to treasure. Then we can curl up for the night. Mother and Alexis can stay over or come back in the morning and we can have gingerbread pancakes and eggnog french toast and watch the train run around the tree while we take turns opening what's under it."

"Doesn't Martha have a matinee on Christmas?" Kate wondered.

"She does," Castle confirmed. "And we can all put on our Broadway best and go cheer her on. I'll make it a point that an appropriate arrangement is delivered to her dressing room after the show. She refuses to be around flowers before she goes on. She says the fragrance compromises her vocal agility. We can do a light supper afterward, maybe a little less light for you, and then go home for a well deserved snuggle together."

Kate reached under the table to gently stroke his thigh. "That last bit sounds like the best part of it, Castle. Being together, just the two of us." BG chose that moment to kick. "Well, maybe two and a half."

Making good use of his sound board, Jack Jackster generated a chord loud enough to draw the attention of everyone in the room. "A bird with red plumage has informed me that this song holds special meaning for your host and hostess. I invite them to take the floor for the last dance of this set. After that, karaoke!"

Kate hurriedly struggled back into the purple glitter covered, but low, heels she'd chosen for the party. Castle stood up and extended his hand and they made their way to the front of the proscenium together. Strains of "In My Veins" flowed from the speakers as Kate rested her head on Castle's shoulder and they moved as one to the music. As she closed her eyes she could see the brilliant colors of the sunset sky that had accompanied her wedding vows. She had come so close to being unable to keep those promises. They had both come so close to being unable to keep any promises. But now as the music and the warmth of Castle's arms surrounded her, the fear and pain of those days retreated behind a door her mind willed to slam tightly shut. The room was filled with the people she knew had her back, the people she could depend on on. Contact with many of them had already faded from every day, to game nights and occasional calls and emails. But the fellowship would never truly end. They shared an unbreakable bond, forged in battle. They would always be a part of her, and she would always answer their call. Leaving the sanctuary of brotherhood in blue had been as frightening as it had been exciting, but Kate knew that she would never truly be gone. Blue blood would be in her veins forever.


	29. Chapter 29

Life Goes On

Chapter 29

Kate didn't know what to do with herself. She had a meeting with Chief Gates in the afternoon, but her morning was free. Castle was writing. She'd had to urge him into bed the preceding night and he'd been up before she was and back at his laptop that morning. Only the smell of fresh coffee had briefly lured him to the kitchen. He was playing catch up after devoting so much time to getting the party together, decorating the loft, and helping her wind up her business, and she had no wish to disturb him. She admired how hard he was working. Even though he brushed it off, she was more than aware that he had taken on a heavy load to help her solve her last case, and she was grateful. She gazed around the loft. The fifteen foot evergreen was up, as were the garlands. But the tree was still bare. Boxes of Castle's decorations dating back to Alexis' birth lay beneath the tree, waiting for their contents to be hung. That ceremony was planned for that evening, when Alexis would arrive with Hayley in tow.

Kate's throat tightened as she regarded another group of boxes. They had been in storage since the death of her mother, but this year she had finally found the courage to get them out. She hardly remembered what was in them. When she and her father had packed them away, he had been in a fog of alcohol and her mind had been swathed in grief. She recalled the events as if they had taken place in a dream, taking down strings of lights and pulling ornaments from branches without daring to look at them. She'd look now, and sort through the memories before they collided with the new ones she would soon be creating.

The tape on the boxes was old, barely requiring any tension to pull it loose. Kate lifted the flaps on the first cardboard container to reveal tangled strings of lights and empty reels. She remembered her father had always been so careful to wind the lights around those reels, so they could easily be unwound around the tree the next year. But that last time, all he'd wanted to do was shove them from sight. Propping herself against the edge of the couch with pillows, she began the painstaking task of separating the strands. She carefully handled the bubble lights. They had been rare, even over a decade ago. She had never even seen their like on any of Castle's trees. She remembered her father carefully placing each unit above a conventional light, so the heat would make the bubbles rise. They wouldn't be that much of an attraction this Christmas, but she could picture BG in another year, sitting on Castle's shoulders, as Kate had sat on her father's, and marveling at the magical motion within the liquid.

The twinkle lights were next. They had been up all over the Beckett apartment, edging the bookshelves and even reflecting off the pots and pans in the kitchen. Kate coiled them gently, wondering if they could twinkle over the little village that would soon nestle under massive green branches. The rest of the lights seemed commonplace except for a string of imitation chili peppers. Her mother had bought them to tease her father after he had suffered an eye-watering experience at a newly opened Mexican restaurant.

The ornaments were more carefully packed. Kate's mother had stored them the same way year after year, just adding a few more for each Christmas, to commemorate special events during the year. Three of the last of those had been a miniature mortarboard and a diploma memorializing Kate's graduation from high school, and a map of California with microscopic letters, to mark her acceptance to Stanford. Moving further back in time, there was a replica of the Harley Kate had worked so hard to earn and a series of tiny flags symbolizing Kate's participation in the model United Nations.

Kate fingered the most treasured ornament of all, doll sized ice skates with sterling silver blades. Kate could hear her mother's muffled laughter as Kate would do anything to remain erect on the ice. Unable to bear consigning them back to a box, even for a few more hours, Kate rose to hang them as the lone adornment on the tower of empty verdant branches. As she stretched upward, she heard Castle come up behind her. She had expected a tease, but he just pressed a kiss to her neck. "I can put that higher up for you, make it easier for your mother to look down on," he offered.

Kate nodded wordlessly and Castle brought the ladder that had been leaning against a wall, ready for later use, and placed Kate's treasure at the tip of an uppermost branch. After he'd descended, Kate impulsively wrapped her arms around him and stood on the bare tips of her toes to kiss his lips before speaking. "Did you finish your chapter?"

"More like three chapters, two for Alex and one for my other book," he replied, wrung out, but satisfied. "I've emptied out my head for a while. Are you all right?" Castle indicated Kate's boxes with a sweep of his hand. "Going through those must have been hard for you."

"Not as hard as I thought, Castle. Maybe it's because we're building a family of our own, but all the wonderful memories of the times I had with my mother, with both my parents really, are beginning to overcome the painful ones. Now that I've finally made peace with my mother's death - with everything about my mother's death - I can enjoy the good memories again, including a lot of great Christmases."

Castle drew her close, the top of her head silky beneath his chin. "What an incredible present that is!" he marveled before pulling back slightly, smiling as BG kicked him. "But speaking of presents, if you have enough time before your meeting, I thought we might go shopping for stocking stuffers. You know that crazy store on the way to the subway, the one with the eternal going out of business sign? According to the business notices in our neighborhood throwaway, they actually mean it this time. Might be fun to have a look at what they're trying to unload. There might might be some gems hidden among the monuments to bad taste. And there's that ninety year old hot dog vendor that always sets up out front of the store. We could grab a couple of dogs before we go treasure hunting."

"Yeah, he actually toasts the buns - and he has dark mustard," Kate recalled. "Sounds wonderful, Castle. The walk will be good for me anyway. Walking is at least one exercise that has Dr. Gershon's full seal of approval."

"As long as you don't slip on the ice," Castle cautioned "You need to wear those boots we bought for you, the ones with with the extra traction soles."

Kate reached up to stroke his cheek. "Alright Castle, I'll wear the safer but incredibly ugly boots, but after BG is born, my stilettos are coming back to the front of the closet."

"I will happily move them there myself," Castle responded, grinning.

After a few blocks walk and a quickly inhaled lunch, the Castles were far from the only bargain hunters in the eclectic store. Shoppers sifted through thinly plated jewelry, farting statuettes, and cheap t-shirts. Kate lifted a package containing a blow up doll and pointed to the unrealistic proportions on the figure shown on the front. "Look Castle, every frat boy's dream."

The fun instantly departed from Castle's face. "Not just frat boys, Kate. After you took off, I seriously considered buying one of those, just to fill up the empty space in the bed. A frat dream is better than nothing."

Kate leaned her head against his shoulder and put her hand reassuringly against his back. "I'm sorry Castle. I'm so sorry I ever made you need that dream. But the reality is back." She rubbed the gentle swell of her belly. "More reality than ever. And Babe, I'm never running again."


	30. Chapter 30

Life Goes On

Chapter 30

A white Christmas Eve had rapidly changed from nostalgic to menacing. Hayley Shipton, the Ryans, Esposito, and Lanie had departed the Castles' loft almost immediately after the sumptuous dinner, anxious to make it home before the streets became entirely impassable. Aware of the forecast, Martha and Alexis had arrived, overnight bags in hand, ready to stay through the storm in their old quarters. As Martha pounded the keys of the piano, Castle put a triumphant finish to the parody carol-off with his rendition of Go Tell it on the Mountain, redone as Dead Body in a Fountain.

"Hey I remember that case," Alexis realized. "Dad, wasn't that one where you tried to hit on my old babysitter, Rina?"

"Hey, she tried to hit on me," Castle corrected, "and as I recall I did not succumb to her charms and you and Rina got a nostalgic evening of watching High School Musical out of it."

"Yeah, that's true," Alexis agreed, "except that you stole half the popcorn we made."

"Merely taking my due for acting with such selfless nobility," Castle retorted.

As Kate and Alexis snorted in tandem, with the exception of the battery operated LEDs entwined with the garlands, all the lights in the loft went out. "Did we lose the main circuit breaker?" Kate wondered.

In the pale illumination, Castle carefully picked his way to a window. "Not unless it was the circuit breaker to the whole city. Our white out has caused a blackout," Castle related.

"Oh no!" Martha exclaimed. I'm prepared for this during the summer brown outs but not on Christmas Eve."

"Fear not, Mother," Castle proclaimed, "you are in the presence of one fully trained in the art of zombie apocalypse survival. Simple snow is nothing. Having a wife who truly appreciates the romance of candlelight doesn't hurt either. We can light this whole place up without benefit of electricity. In fact there are several deluxe lighters in the kitchen." Kate was already walking in the direction where the extended reach lighters were kept. She handed them out, with Castle taking the longest one. "The electronic ignition in the fireplace won't work, but the gas will still be on and I can light it with this," Castle explained. "We will have a defense against the invading cold."

The loft was soon warmly, if dimly lit. Scents of vanilla and cranberry candles mingled with the subtle remnants of cinnamon, cloves, and sage. The result was a strange but comforting mix. Castle hauled a large camouflage backpack out of one of the cabinets in his office. "Everything we could possibly need," he announced proudly. "Meals ready to eat, multitools, first aid kit, extra socks..."

"I don't think we'll be needing those, darling," Martha interjected, "as long as you know where the cork screw is. I have a feeling this going to be a long night."

"Where it's always been, Mother," Castle responded, annoyed at the interruption of his grand moment.

"Hot cocoa would be nice," Alexis hurriedly put in, "if there's a way to heat it up."

Castle pulled several cans of Sterno® from the pack. "Of course there is. Would I fail you? We can use these in the chafing dish or ooh! They'll work in the fondue pot too. We can do cheese, or better yet chocolate."

"Maybe later Babe," Kate suggested, "but the hot cocoa does sound good. Even with the fire going, it's still kind of chilly in here."

"Coming up!" Castle declared, "And may I suggest layers to keep warm? As effective and more flexible for quick moves than heavy coats." Cans of solid fuel in hand, Castle whispered,"We'll discuss other methods later," to Kate, before continuing on to the kitchen to set up his improvised cooking arrangement.

"You wear what you like, Richard," Martha replied, putting down the newly located corkscrew and striding to the front closet to pull out her plush faux leopard coat. "I think I'll stick with this."

Alexis followed her to pull out the ski jacket she'd worn to journey to the loft. "I can move pretty well in this too. Kate do you want anything from here?" Alexis scanned the contents of the hangers."You do have a great collection of coats."

"The red wrap, I think," Kate suggested.

"You have two of those," Alexis noted.

"Wait, I'll get it," Kate said, heading toward Alexis. The flickering light left the corner of an ottoman in shadow. Kate caught her toe on it and tripped, landing heavily on the wood floor.

A can of cocoa dropped from Castle's hand, scattering brown powder across the counter. He didn't even glance at it, just running to his wife. "Oh Kate, oh no!"

Kate was already picking herself up when he reached her. "Castle, it was nothing, I'm fine." She reached for his hand to place it against her abdomen. "See, BG is fine too. She's kicking like crazy. I think she enjoyed the ride."

"Still, Castle insisted, "we ought to get you checked out. The Mercedes can make it to the hospital. We could call the guys at the Twelfth. They could give us an escort."

"Babe, calm down," Kate urged. "It's Christmas Eve, which means that there's a skeleton crew and emergency responders are needed for real emergencies. This isn't one. I'd just be taking services away from someone who'd actually need them."

"Kate are you sure?" Castle pressed

"Look, Castle, Mrs. Purgemeister who lives two floors down is a nurse midwife. She's actually given me some good tips. Her husband passed away recently and her son and daughter are in the Peace Corps. She's probably all alone in the dark. Why don't we invite her up? I should have thought of it anyway. She'd be here in case anything happens, we'd be sharing a little Christmas spirit, or at least hot cocoa if you have any cocoa left."

"Dad," it's a good idea," Alexis ventured. "I know Mrs. Purgemeister. She helped me when I was taking an advanced first aid course. I can go see if she's home."

"It is a good idea, Richard," Martha chimed in. "And it's definitely better than taking your pregnant wife out into a raging snowstorm."

"Alright," Castle capitulated. "Alexis, go see if Mrs. Purgemeister is available for consult."

It seemed like an hour to Castle, but Alexis returned with Mrs. Purgemeister in less than five minutes. The older woman was no-nonsense and confident and took Kate into the bedroom for an examination, inquiring straightforwardly if she'd felt any cramping or seen any signs of bleeding. After another few minutes, agonizing for Castle, they both emerged. Mrs. Purgemeister, who urged them to call her Claire, announced that Kate and the baby seemed perfectly fine, but she would be happy to stay and keep an eye on them for the rest of the evening. Castle gratefully offered five different kinds of Christmas cookies and set himself back to work at making cocoa, for which just enough ingredients remained.

As midnight approached, Claire excused herself to use the facilities. "Dad," Alexis whispered. "We can't just open our stockings, there isn't one for Claire."

"Well there could be," Castle proposed. "If one of you ladies could donate some hosiery and manage to distract her for a few minutes, we could each give up a couple of stuffers. There's a lot of fruit and goodies in the stockings anyway. I can spread them around a little."

Candlelight danced over the smile on Kate's face. "That's really sweet Babe,"

"I can ask her about some plans I have for installing safety equipment at the P.I. office," Alexis offered. "I can say I want to sketch them out on my I-pad but I need to plug it into the universal power supply in your office. You can just take whatever you want out of my stocking."

"And I have extra hose in my bag. For fashion emergencies, this actor is always prepared!" Martha declared.

After Claire returned, Alexis waited a few moments before luring her away again. The plan was put into motion, and when midnight arrived, all the occupants of the loft were able to exclaim over Santa's offerings. Finally, Claire retired for the night, armed with a wind up flashlight that had miraculously appeared in her stocking along with an emergency cell phone power pack, two silk scarves and enough cookies, candy, and mandarins to last at least until New Years. Before leaving, she instructed Kate to call her if she had any concerns at all, but reassured Castle there was nothing to worry about.

Just before sunrise, power was restored to the city. Many trumpeted the day as one of birth, but as Rick and Kate snuggled under extra blankets, BG thankfully stayed where she was and Claire Purgemeister smiled in her sleep.


	31. Chapter 31

Life Goes On

Chapter 31

Castle and Kate cuddled under a comforter on the couch listening to Rod Serling intone the question posed by the next episode of the Twilight Zone. The last New Years Eve Castle had spent huddled under a blanket in the back room of his P.I. office, unable to bear the thought of a celebration without Kate. Kate had chosen to spend the night in an office as well, her office at the Twelfth Precinct. They'd both toyed with the idea of finding a party this year, or even making the pilgrimage to Times Square. But after his terror when Kate fell on Christmas Eve, Castle couldn't cope with the idea of taking her where she might be jostled or even knocked down by an overenthusiastic crowd. And of course the usual parties based on a generous flow of booze were out as well. The Twilight Zone marathon seemed a perfect way to be part of multiple universes without ever leaving the loft, which was now minus an ottoman Castle had personally heaved in a dumpster.

Castle grinned at the unique warble of Ed Wynn. "This is one of my favorites. I've always loved the idea that poor salesman who seems so insignificant in the scheme of things, can defeat the Angel of Death. Some of these stories are depressing but this one is really hopeful. Of course we've managed to kick the ass of the Angel of Death a few times ourselves. Maybe that's why I feel so drawn to it. Anyway, it's a good message for a fresh year in which you are going to do all sorts of new ass kicking."

The popcorn bowl on Kate's lap wobbled a little. "Speaking of kicking," she laughed. "I think BG is going to have great legs."

Under the blanket, Castle ran his fingers admiringly over Kate's thigh. "She certainly comes by it honestly."

Kate melded herself into his wide palm. "This episode ends at midnight," she noted. "I don't really care about watching balls drop, at least not the ones on TV. We could ring in this new year the way we didn't the last one, with our own personal fireworks."

Castle pulled his hand back nervously. "Kate, we haven't... since before Christmas. What if something did go wrong? I mean what if we hurt you or the baby?"

"Castle, I saw Dr. Gershon on Friday while you were in your meeting at Black Pawn. I asked her. She said unless something else comes up, we don't have to stop unless we need to push the baby out of the way. Claire had said something similar but she told me to check with my doctor to be sure. I was a good mommy and did that, Castle, so there's no reason we shouldn't enjoy the months we have left before midnight feedings and dirty diapers commence. Besides, the hormones make me horny and Gershon says that's normal too."

"Well I suppose in that case, it's my husbandly duty," Castle acceded. "And I shouldn't shirk it."

"You absolutely shouldn't," Kate insisted. "And do we really need to see the end of this episode? We both know how it comes out. He makes a pitch for the angels. We could seek out a little Heaven ourselves, right now."

"Yes we could, we really could," Castle agreed, picking up the remote control. The screen went black. "So, my hormonishly horny wife, lead the way." Kate grasped his hand, pulling him the few feet to the bedroom. She lay back on the bed, yanking at the elastic waistband of her pants. Castle grinned down at her. "You ARE in a hurry."

"Come on, Castle, get your clothes off," she commanded.

"Your wish is my command," Castle replied, pulling his sweater and his t-shirt over his head.

Kate quickly attacked her top and her slightly up-sized bra, freeing herself to his view. She squirmed against the red and green satin of their holiday bedspread. "Castle hurry up!"

"Wow, pregnancy has taken your skills at bossing men around to a whole new level," Castle noted, quickly pulling his belt loose. "Not that I'm objecting." He pushed the rest of his clothes to the floor. "Am I wrong in assuming you want to be on top?"

Kate reached up to grab his hand. "Castle, just get down here."

"And by getting down you mean...?" Kate nodded. Her body arched as Castle kissed her intimately. He drew back. "Kate this is going way too fast."

Kate encircled his rising excitement in her hand. "I'll catch you up, Castle. She replaced her hand with her eager lips as she stimulated herself against the warm flesh of his body.

A rush of arousal pulled him along like a riptide. The air was expelled from his lungs and he panted for more. "Definitely catching up Kate, maybe a little too close to the finish line. You want to tear through the tape in tandem?"

Kate lay back on the bed, holding him again, the moisture from her own tongue damp beneath her fingers. She was open. The barn door was so wide that she felt, even with generous proportions Castle displayed, should could fit two of him, a trick she'd only seen in porn movies and had never before believed. She believed it now. She used all her control of her inner muscles to pull tight around him, desperate for the increased friction. She drove for it, with her own fingers between them as the center of her need screamed for more attention. Castle's hand pushed hers aside. "I'll do it Kate. I'll take care of you."

She was hard but slick beneath his touch and bucking wildly. His lips found the heightened sensitivity of upwardly surging pink tips, worshiping first one then the other. Kate was a rocket fully fueled and ready to blast off into space, awaiting just the final ignition. The spark seemed just beyond her reach when it suddenly caught and spread through her, touching off the first explosion. The aftershocks hit, one after another. She could feel Castle's release within her, caught in her seismic cascade. She struggled for air as the breath was forced from her lungs again and again until she lay limp and panting atop Castle, with the slowly cooling heat of him still within her.

He kissed the dampened mass of her hair, now wild and tangled, and held her against his bare skin. "Kate are you all right?"

She struggled for conscious thought. "Castle, I don't know what I am. Just give me a minute."

He gently stroked her back, then slowly turned, easing her down beside him. They were both sweaty and sticky. "Be right back," Castle told her, padding naked to the bathroom. Washcloths would be too small for what he had in mind. He dampened two hand towels with warm water and brought them back to the bed.

He used one to gently wash Kate. "Mm nice," she murmured, holding out her hand for the other towel, to echo his ministrations. With the self satisfaction of a cat after a languorously licked bath, Castle deposited the towels in the bathroom and returned to pull back the bedclothes, covering them both lightly with a sheet. Kate burrowed contentedly into his side. "Happy New Year, Castle."

He lightly cupped the warm swell of her belly, feeling the vigorous life moving within her. "Best one ever."


	32. Chapter 32

Life Goes On

Chapter 32

Kate surveyed her new office. The staff had given her a tour after she'd won the election, giving her almost two months to plan what to bring and how she would want it set up, but that had been very different than claiming it as her own. Castle, Alexis, and Hayley had all helped her bring her things over. Her pictures and framed mementos were on the wall and her elephants were on her desk. The corner of the room nearest her desk had been left empty. It was destined to hold a crib, changing table, and supplies for BG. Another corner was devoted to a conversation space. Kate hoped it would serve as a rough analogy to the lounge at the Twelfth, providing an nonthreatening experience. There was a bank of four drawer filing cabinets. One of them was already filled with Kate's accumulation of eclectic information from over the years, but the rest were waiting to accommodate the new complaints and concerns of New York's citizenry. At Castle's insistence that she have a place to rest, a long leather couch stretched against much of one wall. An empty spot next to it was destined to hold a rocking chair. There was also a conference area with a table with plug-ins for computers to allow presentations to be projected, and a high quality speaker for conference calls.

The agenda for Kate's afternoon had been planned. She and Chief Gates would be holding a press conference regarding the implementation of body cams for N.Y.P.D. officers, in addition the dash cams which were already in use. The two women intended to trumpet loudly that the N.Y.P.D. would be held fully accountable to its citizenry, and would maintain evidence of all interactions. They also hoped that in addition to rooting out abusive cops, baseless accusations could be deflected. Furthermore, they intended to announce a plan to increase police presence in areas like the South Bronx, infamous for the lack of it. Never fond of interaction with the press, Kate had steeled herself for a barrage of questions. But all of that was hours away.

Castle had demanded they have lunch together, declaring that he would not allow either Kate's nutrition or that of their child, to suffer if she got caught up in the chaos of her first day. Kate had thought his pronouncement a little, or perhaps a lot, over the top, but still smiled at his heartfelt concern. However, whatever feast he had in mind was hours off as well.

Kate had designated the morning as a time to receive any New Yorker feeling the need for advocacy. As leery as she was of a random parade of denizens of the Big Apple, she felt it was necessary to have as much direct contact as she could with the people she served. Drawing a deep breath, Kate thumbed the intercom and instructed her assistant Nettie Greenbaum, who had also worked for Leticia Jones, to show her first appointment in. Kate stood and extended her hand as a sixtyish woman with red cheeks and redder lips entered the office. Kate waved her constituent to the conversation corner. "Mrs. Norish?"

"Yes dear," the woman confirmed. "I'm so glad you've opened your door. I'd been trying to talk to Mrs. Jones about what is going on but somehow she never had a slot for me." Doreen Norish sank into a chair and sighed. Kate took the seat opposite her, leaning forward with her forearms against her lap, in the way she had often sat with families of murder victims. "When is your baby due, dear?" Doreen inquired without preamble.

Kate's throat tightened. She had carefully inspected herself from all angles that morning until she was finally assured that her cleverly designed dress disguised all evidence of her condition. But she was not about to deny what would soon be obvious to all. "How did you know, Mrs. Norish?"

"Well dear, how could I not know?" Norish replied. "We're all in the same boat, aren't we, since the Gray Ones landed? Even those of us who thought we couldn't, well we're all their incubators now. That's what I wanted to discuss with you. How is the city going to handle all the alien babies? They'll need specialized medical facilities, daycare, schools. The city will have to designate considerable resources to cope."

"Yes we will, Mrs. Norish," Kate agreed as the theme from Twilight Zone replayed in her head. "And the City Council will be considering those needs as we put the next budget together. I can assure you that no child left behind - will be left behind."

Doreen reached out to pat Kate's hand. "Well dear, I'm so glad to know that. My own gray gift is due in March. I hope you'll be able to implement your plan by then."

Kate struggled to retain the smile of acceptance she had forced on her lips. "Mrs. Norish, I guarantee that any services required by the gray gifts will be available by then." Kate rose to indicate the end of the meeting. "Now if you'll make sure my assistant has your contact information, we can inform you if there are any more alien developments."

Doreen spryly got to her feet as well. "Thank you dear, I will do that." Kate ushered her visitor to the door and pointed her toward Nettie's desk.

A few moments later, Nettie came to the door of Kate's office, working hard to suppress a laugh. "Ms. Beckett, is there anything specific you want done for Mrs. Norish?"

"Yes," Kate replied. "Use the information she gave you to make sure she has access to mental health facilities. And out with it Nettie, did you know what she was here to see me about?"

"There would have been no way to avoid it. She's a regular at the help desk. Ms. Jones always found a way to duck her," Nettie confided, "but you said you wanted to see everyone."

"I did," Kate admitted. "I should have thought about what the desk sergeant at the precinct did for my people there. He usually kept most of the crazies off the detectives' backs so they could actually solve crimes. I assume the help desk here serves the same function?"

"It, and the rest of your staff, Ms. Beckett."

"Kate."

"Kate," Nettie repeated. "Use us. Let us do our jobs so you can do yours."

"Point taken," Kate conceded, "and thanks Nettie."

"No problem Kate. You ready to see the next one?" Nettie inquired. "It's Pearl Westcott. She's also here about childcare - but for human children."

Kate laughed. "Alright, Nettie. Send her in."

* * *

"Ooh, Little gray babies," Castle considered gleefully as he and Kate dug into the minestrone soup, salad, and crusty bread he'd brought to her office, courtesy of Mama Cici's Italian Deli. "You know Kate, it's not totally impossible. There have been reports of those gray men for a long time, all over the world. Maybe they were just the first wave and Mrs. Norish is right."

Kate dropped her spoon. "Castle, I don't need that right now."

"Okay," Castle agreed reaching into a yet unopened bag. "Maybe you need this." He handed her a nameplate emblazoned with "Katherine Beckett Public Advocate", and edged in white gold.

"Castle, that's sweet," Kate responded.

Castle reached into his pocket. "This goes with it. Your old one got a little too much blood on it." He handed her a white gold bracelet, studded in diamonds.

Kate read the inscription. "To my exceptional wife, warrior for justice, always."

Kate's eyes moistened as she bit her lip. "Thank you Castle. I'm going to do my best to live up to this."

Castle slipped the circlet on her wrist and kissed the tips of her fingers. "Of that Kate, I have absolutely no doubt."


	33. Chapter 33

Life Goes On

Chapter 33

Kate sank down on a couch in the loft, desperately wishing she could have a glass of wine, or better yet a few fingers of Castle's fifty year old scotch. Since the pilot program using body cams had already been running under Leticia Jones, she hadn't expected such an uproar. But the expansion from minor uses to launching the program in twenty precincts had created a firestorm of criticism on both sides. The Patrolmen's Benevolent Organization had filed a grievance against the city saying the program should have been part of contract talks. Citizens were complaining that the program was being used mostly for misdemeanors, with major abusers getting away Scott free. Kate had received a request for an interview from almost every New York outlet and the story had been picked up nationally as well. More accustomed to handling the press, Victoria Gates would be dealing with much of the publicity, but many in the media only wanted Kate Beckett, model for the intrepid Nikki Heat. Kate could see any true foray she wanted to make into bringing justice to the city, screeching to a halt while she answered the same questions ad nauseum to a never ending barrage of microphones shoved in her face.

Castle slid in beside her and pulled her stockinged feet into his lap, massaging her insteps with his thumbs. Kate sighed in relief. "Castle that is wonderfult."

"I wish I could do more for you. As long as I've know her, Gates has liked attention, but all this publicity can't be easy for Kate Beckett, private person," Castle asssumed.

"It isn't," Kate admitted, "but if I'm going to be in politics, I'll have to get used to it. I just didn't expect to have to get used to it so fast. It's very different than the occasional Nikki Heat photo op, or even the rounds I made of the media when you disappeared. I mean right now no one is happy. The people for the cams don't think we're doing enough and the people against the cams think we're doing too much. Worse than that, it's sparked a fight between our friends. I'm surprised really. Espo has always liked cameras. Remember how he played to them for that documentary about Holy Shemp?"

"Yeah," Castle recalled, "it was like he wanted to be a combination lead singer and action hero. You know that would make a great character, especially in a graphic novel. He could have weapons built into his guitar."

Kate steered Castle back to the subject."Well Espo's suddenly gotten camera shy. He wants no part of having cops on film now," she explained. "But Ryan does. Maybe it's part of being a father. He's always taking pictures and video and he thinks that it will help clear cops. Statistically he's right. So far there have been eighteen complaints under the pilot program and only five of them have been substantiated. That's not great, but it isn't bad. Anyway, Captain Jeffords tells me they've stopped talking to each other."

"Not the first time," Castle recalled. "Things did get pretty rough when Ryan shot Espo in the ass. Didn't you have to threaten them with couples counseling?" Kate nodded wearily. "Anyway, they got over it," Castle continued. "They'll get past it this time too. And Kate, you have other problems. Jeffords is in charge of handling things at Twelfth now. You have the whole rest of the city to worry about. But not tonight. You have to take care of BG and yourself before you go back into your champion of the people mode. Comfort food?" he proposed. "Macaroni and cheese?"

"Sounds like heaven, Castle. But we were talking so much about little gray men when we had lunch, you never told me what you were up to. You were typing away when I left this morning."

Castle eased her feet off his lap and quickly covered the short distance to the kitchen to put a pot of salted water on the stove. "Gina called," he related as he got a block of cheese out of the refrigerator and began to grate it. "She likes what I'm doing with Alex's book so far, but it's Gina, so of course she wants me to hurry it along. She also says she's going to need at least one more Nikki Heat after High Heat. But I'm kind of stuck on my work with Alex's story until I see how the reforms at Rikers are moving along, so I was working on my literary book instead."

"It's not like you decided to work on that project because it's not for Black Pawn and you didn't feel like giving Gina her way," Kate teased.

"That too," Castle acknowledged, as he measured out butter and flour to make a roux to thicken the sauce. "So does BG want anything special in this? Pickles? Chili peppers?"

"Actually, in my present mood, chili peppers sound kind of good Castle, if can you do the crunchy thing and put chili flavored chips on top," Kate suggested. "But Castle, I'm sorry. I haven't even looked at the Rikers situation since we closed Alex's and Birdie's murders. My staff has still been on it as a hangover from Leticia though. I think Nettie may still be at the office. She said she had some things to finish up. I can have her generate a report for you. Much as I love the simultaneous satisfaction of pissing off Gina and having my husband reach for new heights in his literary career, I don't want to slow you down on getting Alex's book out."

Castle stirred his mix of melted butter and flour harder than was necessary."No Kate, when you were a cop it was always just one more thing. That was bad enough, especially when it got in the way of our domestic bliss. You were constantly on the ragged edge and more than once you fell over it. But now we can't afford to have you do that anymore. If you get dragged out or dragged down, so does BG. I wasn't trying to push you about Rikers. You want to talk to Nettie about it tomorrow, fine. But for tonight, eat your chili crunch mac and cheese. Ooh! I just came up with the name. I like it! Anyway, eat it and then you can decompress from the press of the press. We can even watch the episode of Temptation Lane I recorded for you today, that's about as far from reality as you can get without involving the little gray ones."

"Castle, you're never going to let that go, are you?" Kate groaned.

"Kate I will, if you let everything else go for a few hours," Castle bargained. "Deal?"

"Deal," Kate started to agree, just as a buzzing sound penetrated the windows of the loft. She wandered over to the glass wall to peer through the panes for the source. "What the hell! Castle there's a drone out there!"

"Kate get away from the windows," Castle responded urgently. "It could have a gun."

"Castle, it doesn't have a gun," Kate reassured him, pulling the drapes shut. "But I think I saw a camera. The paparazzi are just pushing things too far. They shouldn't be able to invade anyone's privacy like this, and putting controls on drones will be at the top of my list for tomorrow - or at least at number two after catching up on the Rikers situation."

Castle shook his head, but the corners of his mouth tweaked upwards. He could take his wife away from the battleground, but she would never cease finding battles to fight. He almost pitied whoever owned the drone.


	34. Chapter 34

Life Goes On

Chapter 34

The creases bracketing Kate's nose deepened as she studied the bill Leticia Jones had drafted for presentation to the City Council. She looked up at Nettie, who was awaiting instructions. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but this was intended just to make sure drones are registered, not to control their actions. All we've got here is requirements for insurance and I.D. numbers."

"That's true,"Nettie confirmed. "That's all Leticia thought she could get past the council. And even so, all they did was hold one hearing. The bill never went up for a vote. I got the impression that there were some powerful interests that wanted to limit any controls on drones at all."

"Well I've come up against powerful interests before," Kate declared. "They can be taken down. As long as the press insists on sitting on my doorstep anyway, let's arrange another press conference. Say it's about limiting intrusions on the lives of New York City's citizens. That's vague enough so they'll think it's about sex or guns or something. I want the staff to start working on a new bill preventing the use of drones for surveillance of our citizens unless there's a court order, and preventing drones from carrying weapons over the city unless they're operated by law enforcement or the military. They should throw the registration and I.D. thing in there also, but we need something with a lot more teeth."

"You want them to draft your statement for the press conference as well?" Nettie inquired.

Kate smiled thoughtfully. "No. I'm going to get some special help for that. And I have a project in mind to find out who might be out there playing spy games too. But the less you know about that the better. No one in this office can be held responsible for what they haven't been told. This may take a couple of days. Let's set a tentative date for the press conference for the day after tomorrow, then we can move it back if we're not ready. But put the staff on that bill right now."

After Nettie nodded her acknowledgment and left the room, Kate picked up her cell phone. Castle answered on the third ring. "Kate, I got the summary you emailed me about the changes being implemented at Rikers. They've been a great jumping off point. Thanks. I've almost finished another chapter already."

"You're welcome, Babe," Kate responded. "but now I need a favor from you. Actually I need two. First, I need your skill at weaving tales of evil conspiracies, to produce something for me that will be frightening enough to get the press charging after the drone issue."

Kate could almost hear Castle grin through the phone. "It will be my pleasure to scare their socks off. What's the other favor?"

"I need to borrow Hayley. At the precinct I could have used Vikram for this, but the Public Advocate's office doesn't have a resident hacker. Maybe you can consider it as Richard Castle Investigations doing pro bono work for the city. You are still the majority partner aren't you?"

"I am," Castle confirmed. "After Alexis puts in her three years in the business and can qualify for a P.I. license, I may gift my interest to her, or as independent as she is, she'll most likely want to find some way to buy me out, but until then my name's on the door and my scotch is in the decanter. I think I can guess what you want to borrow Hayley for."

* * *

Declining an invitation to sit, Hayley Shipton stood in front of Kate's desk and stared at her. "Let me get this straight. You want me to try to track down the drone that was snooping on the loft and hack into its system?"

"That's right. I want to find out just what kind of surveillance is going on in this city, and whoever has been spying on me is a place to start. I have a right to know who's peeping in my window, If it had been a live person, I could have had him arrested," Kate maintained.

"If it had been a live person it would have to have been Spiderman, or at least an experienced climber," Hayley pointed out. "There are services you can engage for that sort of high tech spying. I've never fancied employing one myself. You can learn more with a properly organized B & E. But I have been approached. I can play a worm on a hook and see if they bite."

"Sounds good. Keep Castle updated on whatever you find out," Kate instructed. "He's going to love this operation and I can check in with him while you're busy."

"If you don't check in with him, he'll check in with you," Hayley opined. "he is thoroughly obsessed with taking care of you and the baby."

"Tell me about it," Kate agreed. "This morning he was down on his hands and knees in the kitchen trying to get a baby's eye view on anything he might have to baby proof. He's assembled listings of every baby safety device that's ever been invented and he's getting ratings and reviews on all of them. He was also crawling the loft around making sure there was nothing I could possibly trip on, in case we had another blackout. Hey, you're smiling. He's dead serious."

"Actually sweetie, I find it rather endearing," Hayley confessed. "when you're raised the way I was and with the kind kind of people I knew growing up, seeing a father who cares at all, let alone that much, both for Alexis and for the baby you're expecting, is really very lovely. The kind of love he has for your whole family is quite rare you know."

"I do know," Kate confided, "and I love him for it."

"That's more than obvious," Hayley pointed out, "and I don't mean your pregnancy. You two just sort of radiate it, even when he's clearly about to drive you crazy. But I'm waffling on. I'll see what I can scope out about the drones and let Castle know."

Kate gazed after Hayley for a moment, after she departed. The hard exterior had revealed a mushier center than Kate would have expected, and more than a little wistfulness. Kate could remember when she'd never dreamed she could love someone with the intensity she loved Castle. Maybe someday Hayley we be lucky enough to find that kind of love too. Kate hoped so.

Drawing a deep breath, Kate moved on to scan a list of other items vying for her attention. One caught her eye by virtue of it's seeming incongruity: nail salons. The item referenced a safety report that had been brought to the city council but was still languishing unaddressed. Kate brought the report up on her computer. Never one with the patience to spend her time soaking her fingers and trading gossip, Kate had always either done her own nails or occasionally had a girlfriend do them. The idea of sporting intricate patterns and custom colors had never appealed to her. Thus she was surprised by what she read. The report detailed dangerous sanitary conditions posing a hazard to customers. It cited, in addition, many cases of employees, often new immigrants, being exposed to toxic fumes emitted by nail products. Kate recalled Castle lamenting an infection both Alexis and Martha had picked up when Gina had treated them to manicures and pedicures. It had happened during the period when he and Gina had tried unsuccessfully to reignite their relationship. At the time Castle complained, Kate had assumed it was merely a whine about his ex-wife, but now she realized there may have been much more to it than that. The question was, in the face of all the data Leticia's team had gathered and presented, why the council wouldn't act. The alarms in Kate's head were going off the way they had when she'd suspected someone was less than forthcoming during an interrogation. Something, or more likely someone, was keeping the council from doing it's job. It would be up to her to find out who.


	35. Chapter 35

Life Goes On

Chapter 35

The corner of the cafe where Hayley sat was quiet and poorly lit, but her eyes automatically scanned for cameras. Pretending to check the email on her phone, she used a special app to sweep for bugs. There were none. She stirred her chai, lamenting that no one seemed to make a proper cup of tea anymore. At least the weak brew didn't smell like flowers. She appreciated the tinge of creosote that characterized Earl Grey. She checked her phone for the time. Her meeting was scheduled in two minutes. As far as she knew, she hadn't met her contact before. She'd called the number on a card she'd been given on the floor of a show hawking security devices and been given the time and place for a meeting. Deciding that it was often best to be underestimated by an opponent, Hayley assumed a personna she hoped would disguise her true abilities.

The door of the cafe opened at precisely the appointed time and a woman entered. She was small. Hayley estimated her to be no more than five feet tall. Her ancestry was clearly Asian, although the fashionable suit she wore could not have been more western. Her jet black hair was pulled back in a severe bun and her make-up was light but skillfully applied. She immediately spotted Hayley and with a slight nod, joined her at her table. There was a trace of New England in her voice as she introduced herself. "Ms. Shipton, I am Mirai Tanaka. I represent TK Enterprises. I understand that you have a need we may fulfill."

"You've got that right, ducks," Hayley responded. "We've been contracted to get just the right shots of certain blokes sticking their John Thomases in the wrong chuff, if you get my meaning. They've been getting more and more dodgy, so we have to up our game."

"Yes, I understand," Mirai replied impassively. "We have excellent technology for that purpose. Our units contain the latest upgrades in gyros, eliminating the blur found in images produced by earlier designs. We would be pleased to provide you with examples."

"Bugger the examples," Hayley retorted. "Seen some before that have been pure tosh. What we need is to sort a demonstration. Give 'er a fly-over. Take some pics. If they're brilliant then Bob's your uncle."

"That could be arranged," Mirai responded cautiously, but for surveillance of a specific target, we would require at least token remuneration.

Hayley shrugged. "You pick your target and we'll have a butcher's. You come through and we'll talk dosh."

"Very well, we'll be in touch," Mirai agreed, rising to leave. Hayley watched her make her exit before texting Castle that the plan was proceeding. Then pushing aside the gutless chai, she departed in search of a chocolate shake.

* * *

Kate took her seat at the center of the dais at the City Council meeting. Though non-voting, she was officially in charge. Using the words Castle had crafted for her, she had conducted a press conference the day before and landed as the lead story on most of the local broadcasts. As a result, the open gathering was packed with both press and interested citizens filling every seat as well all the standing room. The meeeting was also being recorded on video. Kate was nervously aware that she would have to measure every word and control every gesture. It felt like BG was turning cartwheels and Kate's stomach certainly was. She tried to think about it as a court appearance, something at which she had plenty of practice. Here she had a much larger jury, but at least she was the one who would swng the gavel. As antsy as the press was, they would have to wait for a while for Kate to accommodate their thirst for an exciting lead. She called the meeting to order and instructed that the minutes of the last meeting be read for approval.

A clerk droned through the reading. Council members seeming intent on wasting as much time as possible, offered numerous corrections, which were finally all approved. Kate observed some members of the audience yawning as she offered the agenda for approval as well. The mundane items were accepted, but two different council members suggested tabling consideration of the bills concerning drones and nail salons. The motion to table debate on the Salon Safety Bill until more data could be obtained was put forward by a councilman from Staten Island, Brewster Malony. To Kate's distress, it passed by a slim majority. Eddy Costello, a councilman from Brooklyn offered a similar motion regarding the Regulation of Drones bill. The press, many of whom had slumped drowsily in their seats, sat upright and a murmur passed through the room as Kate called for a vote. Several members who had voted to table the previous bill fidgeted, taking deep draws from the water bottles in front of them, and nervously regarding the cameras. The motion to table failed by a single vote from one sweaty Benny Patero from Queens. Kate opened the discussion, handing out fact sheets to the council, created just hours before from information provided by Hayley. A copy of the sheets was also projected on a screen. Hard copies offered to members of the audience by Kate's staff were eagerly snatched up as well. Kate went through her points bullet by bullet, pointing out that drones were uncontrolled and unregistered, facts that had previously been established at the council's hearing. She added new information that the most effective drones were under the control of a company whose ownership was hidden beneath a veil of nesting holding companies. Kate finished by displaying pictures from the newest high tech drone, which had unaccountably gone rogue and captured images of New Yorkers, including one council member, in situations in which most citizens would prefer not to be photographed.

The discussion was spirited, edging into angry, with some council members who had voted to table debate arguing that the pictures were a mere fluke and that unimpeded use of drones was necessary to the development of new commerce within the city. Members on the other side, including Jessica Persons of the Bronx, too much of whom had been projected on the screen, argued that a citizen's right to privacy outweighed any expectations of economic growth. When the question was finally called, the majority was still slim, but the bill passed. Much of the press rushed from the room to meet the deadline of the evening news cycle.

Kate worked her way through a gauntlet of microphones from the remaining press before finding her way to the loft. She was triumphantly greeted by Castle and Hayley. They held glasses of champagne and Castle handed Kate a flute of sparkling cider. Castle lifted his own flute. "To Kate Beckett, ass kicker extraordinaire in any venue."

Castle and Hayley clicked glasses but Kate hesitated."I think both of you know that any ass kicking where the drones was concerned was a group effort. But I think the only reason we managed to ram that bill through the council was that a couple of members were too embarrassed to vote the way they wanted to - or had been paid to. That was obvious in the way the Salon Safety Bill was derailed. Those douches were obviously putting their wallets above a serious health threat to the people, especially the women, of this city. There's still a lot of work to find out who's stuffing council pockets and put a stop to it."

"And there's no one better to lead that charge," Castle insisted. He lifted his glass again. "To continued application of the Beckett boot to all the asses dumping on the city." The crystal of all three glasses chimed.


	36. Chapter 36

Life Goes On

Chapter 36

Kate tossed restlessly, trying fruitlessly to clear her mind. Castle reached out, brushing back the hair that her thrashing had strewn across her face. "Kate, are you all right? Is BG okay?"

"Castle, BG's fine," she assured him. "She actually seems to be sleeping. I'm just trying to figure out how to nail the bad actors on the council and trace who's paying them. If I were at the precinct this would be easy. I could get a warrant if I needed to. I could pull financials and follow the money. But as Public Advocate I can't do that. And even if I could, I'm not sure I can trust everyone on my staff. Most of them are holdovers from Leticia and from the way she was blocked too, it's possible some of them are on the take."

Castle pulled himself up to lean against the headboard. "Kate, I do have some training and experience in this, although Hayley has a lot more and even Alexis is better at it. But I can tell you that there is a lot that is available in public records if you know where to look. And it's amazing how much people will put out on social media. The clues are there. You just have to find them and follow them."

"Castle, I just don't have the time to pursue that kind of investigation on my own and if I can't trust my staff, I can't put them on it either," Kate fretted. "And I don't want to farm anything else out to RCI. You've blown a lot of time and resources on what should be my problem already."

Castle's brows lowered angrily. "Kate, I thought we established that if you have a problem, we have a problem. But I think I might have a solution that won't drain RCI, at least not much. You can hire your own staff, can't you?"

"Within the budget of my office, yes," Kate replied.

"Why not hire Alexis?" Castle suggested. "You know you can trust her. She's really good at this kind of thing and she's got Hayley to lean on if she needs advice. She can also keep an eye on the other members of your staff. It's beyond my masculine experience, but I'm told an awful lot can be learned just in the ladies room."

Kate couldn't stop the giggle that rose in her throat. "That is true, Castle. It is easier to talk more freely with someone who's lent you a tampon. I'll have to check, but I don't think the city has any rules against nepotism. I've observed that quite a few officials have family members on their staffs in one capacity or another. If Alexis willing, I should be able to hire her."

"It seems like the people that worked on the Rikers investigation are pretty straight shooters too," Castle noted. "I didn't detect any suspicious holes in the data. They might be back up if you need more help than you can get from Alexis."

"Point taken, Castle," Kate agreed.

Castle slid back down back under the covers to spoon with Kate, wrapping his arms around her and tucking her head beneath his chin. "Good. Then if BG is sleeping maybe you can too."

Sighing, Kate settled into the warm curve of his body and closed her eyes.

* * *

Alexis stared at the screen of her computer at her new work space in the office of the Public Advocate. She was beginning to realize just how much she had been spoiled at RCI. She had usually had an office to herself, whatever equipment she needed, and the luxury of a comfortable retreat in the safe room. Here she was surrounded by the desks of other staff members and was constantly on the alert for anyone who might be looking over her shoulder. Still the story unfolding through her research was fascinating, if depressing. Multiple initiatives that would have benefited the people of New York had been derailed. Others had been allowed to go through, but remained useless because no funds were allotted in the city budget for their implementation. It appeared that multiple council members were involved, including Malony from Staten Island and Costello from Brooklyn. Alexis had been looking for connections between them. As far as she could determine, they weren't related by blood. They had attended different schools and had never worked for the same employer. She searched through lists of campaign contributors. "Eureka," she whispered finally under her breath. The corporations on the list were different, but at least one on the list of each suspicious council member was could be linked to the holding companies that also controlled TK Enterprises, operators of the drones. One of the same holding companies also owned a chain of nail salons. In itself, the ownership proved nothing. The contributions were legal, if suspect. But they were a start.

Alexis stretched and looked at her watch. It was almost lunchtime and her father would be arriving with one of the feasts he provided a couple of times a week for Kate and BG. Since Alexis had begun working for Kate, she had been invited to share in the massive spreads. It would be a perfect opportunity for a family brainstorming session. Alexis smelled rather than saw Castle's entrance as tumeric infused the air. BG apparently was on a curry kick, or at least Kate was and the doting husband and father was more than eager to feed the need. To say Castle was going overboard, she mused, would have been an understatement, but she supposed it was no worse than the way she'd behaved after he'd been found floating in the dinghy in the middle of the ocean. She wondered idly how her father had obsessed when her mother was pregnant with her. Probably worse, she guessed, considering Meredith's constant demands to be the center of the universe. Kate didn't ask Castle to fuss over her, he just couldn't keep himself from doing it.

Castle came to Alexis's desk with overfull arms. "Ready for lunch?"

"Can I take something?" Alexis inquired, reaching for a bag barely balanced on a rice cooker.

"Thank you," Castle responded with relief.

Kate's door was opening as she ushered out the last petitioner of the morning, a daycare provider concerned with an ureasonably rising rent on the property her operation occupied. As she departed, Kate promised to see what she could do.

"Damn!" Kate exclaimed as soon as she closed the door of her office behind the Castles. "The way costs are increasing for childcare facilities, some families will have to spend more than half their monthly income on childcare. Who can live like that?"

"What are you going to do?" Alexis asked.

"Try to negotiate the lease, I guess," Kate responded. "It's been done before. If the landlord is civic minded he might give in, but he isn't legally required to do so. I'll just have to give it a shot."

"How about the buildings the city's confiscated, like the one where you and Vikram set up your headquarters? Couldn't the city rent the space to childcare providers cheap, maybe just for the price of upkeep?"Castle suggested.

"Then maybe the city could have a proviso that childcare providers using the properties would have to keep their fees affordable, maybe on a sliding scale depending on the parents' income?" Alexis added.

"If I haven't told both of you how much I love you lately, consider it said," Kate declared. "That is a great idea!"

Castle started laying food out on the conference table. "Good, now that that's settled, let's take care of the hungry child in waiting."

"We can do a whole lot more than that," Alexis put in. "I have a lot to tell both of you. I might just have a line on who's holding the strings that are tying up the city."


	37. Chapter 37

Life Goes On

Chapter 37

Despite her lack of physical stature, the shadow of Mirai Tanaka fell heavily over Benny Patero as he squirmed behind his desk. "We are very disappointed Mr. Patero. The passage of the city ordinance limiting the use of our drones will result in a considerable reduction in TK's profits. That is not the outcome you led us to expect."

Benny pulled at his rapidly dampening collar. "I know, Ms. Tanaka, and I'm sorry. It's just Advocate Beckett and that damn husband of hers, they attract the press. You know? They were swarming like flies. This wasn't like one of our meetings that ends up as a story on the back page of a section of the _Times_ that nobody reads. Everyone was watching, just waiting for the vote. There was no way I could vote against it without being bombarded by questions neither one of us wants answered."

"Nevertheless, Mr Patero, you must redeem yourself," Tanaka pronounced. "I understand from a source in Ms. Beckett's office that she is continuing to push Ms. Jones' agenda for paid family leave. I doubt that I have to tell you how that will adversely affect the bottom line of a number of companies in which my group has holdings. I am told that a revised version of the bill will be up for consideration at the next council meeting. That bill cannot be allowed to pass, Mr. Patero, regardless of how many members of the fourth estate are present. Do I make myself clear?"

Benny pulled at his collar again. It suddenly seemed two sizes too small. "You do, Ms. Tanaka," he agreed, his voice squeaking from his throat."

"And get a damn cough drop or something," Tanaka commanded. "You sound like a sewer rat." She turned to go. "The media will not be the only ones watching, Mr. Patero," she called over her shoulder, and closed the door of his office firmly behind her.

Benny rose shakily to his feet and crossed the room to a gleaming mahogany cabinet. Jerking it open, he pulled out a bottle of absinthe, poured three fingers and downed it in a gulp.

* * *

Architect Sarah Needham arrived at the loft just after Kate had left to start her day at the office. "Honestly Rick, I'm flattered that you called me, but I don't think you need an architect. Any good contractor could put in a nursery for you. With the open construction of this place, it's not that difficult a project."

"I'm not concerned with the difficulty, Sarah," Castle explained. "I just want it to meld with the ambiance I've already created here. I also want it to be the perfect environment for the new baby. It should be stimulating, yet peaceful enough that she doesn't keep us up all night - after the first three months, anyway. I want her to feel secure yet challenged."

Sarah looked at him doubtfully. "Secure yet challenged. Alright Rick, I'll see what I can come up with. It's been a while since I've been here and I never left the great room except to use a bathroom upstairs. You want to give me the grand tour, so I can get some ideas about how we can do this?"

"Just follow me," Castle invited, leading her up the stairs.

"Your mother and Alexis have moved out, haven't they Rick? Have you considered converting one of the rooms up here?" Sarah inquired.

"Alexis and Mother still return from time to time," Castle explained. "I'm keeping the door open for them, which won't hurt if Grandma or Big Sister develop a yen to do some babysitting."

Sarah nodded knowingly.

"And," Castle added, "Kate and I both agree that we want the baby close to us. We'll have her in a bassinet in our bedroom for the first month or so, or until she grows out of it. That will make nursing a lot easier for Kate. But after that, we still want to be able to hear her, even if the monitoring system fails for some reason. I will be putting cameras with audio and video in the nursery, so I can always check the feed on my laptop or my tablet and Kate will be able to see her when she's at work. The room should be designed to accommodate that."

Castle led the way back downstairs and through his office to the bedroom he and Kate shared. "I was thinking the nursery would have two entrances." He pointed at one wall. "One from there and the other one from the great room. That way we can get to the baby quickly if anything happens. And it should have it's own bath too."

"That should be doable Rick. We'll back the baby's bath up to the master so it won't require much extra plumbing. None of the walls will be weight bearing so you can put doors wherever you like," Sarah noted. "What about dimensions? Most people go pretty small with nurseries, often not more than a hundred square feet or so, but once you get a crib, a dresser, a changing table and a rocker in there, that doesn't leave much space and you'll be losing one wall to windows. The way the room will be need to be constructed won't accommodate a closet, so you're going to want some other kind of storage. That can be custom built in or made in modules, so you can adjust to her needs as she grows. If you're planning the second option, you will have to allow even more space for it. I would judge that we could do twelve by fourteen or even sixteen easily without a major intrusion into your other living space."

"Well then let's go as large as we can," Castle decided. "I don't need as much space for entertaining now."

"Sound's like you're really settling down," Sarah observed. "Next you'll be telling me you don't need room for laser tag anymore."

Castle held up a hand. "I would not go that far. Alexis is still good for an occasional game and her sister may very well pick up her mantle, but she'll probably have to be at least finished teething first."

Sarah laughed. "Nice to know Rick Castle isn't disappearing completely into adult domesticity. Fine, I'll draw up the plans. When is the baby due?"

"Right now the doctor is projecting mid April," Castle responded.

Sarah winced. "That's not much time. Most of the contractors I work with are pretty heavily booked right now. There could be a hefty premium for getting this done on time."

"Whatever it takes," Castle declared. "This is going to be the best nursery ever."

* * *

Leaning against the tiled wall in the ladies restroom Charisma Clarridge drew her cell phone from her Gucci knock off purse. Noting a missed call from Mirai Tanaka sent a shiver through her body. Ms. Tanaka would not be pleased. Charisma hurried to return it. "Ms Clarridge, Tanaka's voice came sharply, better attention to your duties is required. What have you discovered?"

"Beckett is continuing with a number of things Tish tried to do," Charisma responded. "Other than paid leave, there's nothing you need to be concerned with at the moment. I understand she is working on something regarding childcare, but I don't believe your operations will impacted. I'll keep you apprised."

"I expect you will," Tanaka remarked, "or you may suddenly find the bills for your college loans reappearing in your mail box. I trust next time you will answer your phone or return my call immediately."

"Yes ma'am." Charisma confirmed, wiping her palm against her skirt. The call was terminated.

Charisma wobbled to one of the sinks. Dampening a paper towel, she wiped it across her face before tossing it in the trash. She drew a deep breath before using the exit.

From her stall, Alexis carefully let down her feet. She had drawn them up to the seat when Charisma started her call, in case the other woman checked under the door to make sure she wouldn't be overhead. She needn't have bothered. Charisma was too anxious to answer her mistress' call to even consider that there might be someone else present. Alexis had noted that Charisma often glanced at the screens of other staff members' computers, but had allowed that she might be merely curious. Now Alexis knew better, and soon Kate would too.


	38. Chapter 38

Life Goes On

Chapter 38

At the dinner table in the loft, Castle's eyes watered as he reached for the rice. He was hoping to ameliorate the effects of the scrap of a black pepper he'd consumed in his serving of Szechuan chicken. Normally the level of heat in the dish didn't bother him, but Kate had found a new source of take out that significantly turned up the fire and left him longing to move on to a dessert of ice cream. However, Kate's cravings were being well met. His burning mouth would be cooled eventually and he had to admit that the hot and sour soup the restaurant had provided for some of his lunches was an excellent remedy for the stuffiness accompanying the winter's unusually changeable weather, especially after hours spent hunched over his laptop. At that moment there were more important things to think about than a seared tongue.

Seemingly as undisturbed by the blazing nature of the meal as Kate was, Alexis put her head together with her new boss to discuss the leak she'd discovered on Kate's staff. "We need to find out more about Charisma Clarridge," Alexis declared.

"I called Leticia Jones to talk about childcare and managed to bring Charisma up in conversation," Kate reported."Leticia didn't know much about her. She was recommended by another member of the council, Benny Patero. She thinks Patero is a bit of an asshole, but Charisma has a decent background. She went to Holyoke, changed majors a couple of times and ended up working for Briggs and Bunch in New York."

"Isn't Briggs and Bunch kind of an engulf and devour for holding companies?" Castle asked.

"It is," Kate acknowledged, "apparently that's what caused Charisma to have a come to Jesus moment and go to work in public service, or at least that was the story Leticia was told. Sounds like Charisma might have kept up her business connections."

"I can run a complete credit background on her, as if I were doing a skip trace," Alexis suggested. "Something still tying her to B & B might show up. But it would be better if I did it from the RCI office. We're all set up for it there. I could do it tonight. Hayley and I were going to check out a new club, but she has an old colleague she's getting together with, so I might as well."

Kate and Castle looked at each other and simultaneously nodded. "Sounds good," Kate responded. "You can come in late tomorrow. I'll tell Nettie you're running some official errands for me."

Alexis pushed away from the table. "I'll go now."

"Alexis spends an awful lot of time with Hayley. You don't think...?" Kate wondered after the front door had closed behind her step daughter.

"No I don't," Castle replied definitively. "After getting her through her first date, first love, mono, and oh God, Pi, I have no doubts about which side of the street she likes to walk. I think Hayley is more like the big sister or the cousin she never had. But I am curious about Hayley's old colleague. Last time something like that came up, MI-5 was trying to recruit her back into the fold. That business is a lot better to write about than to experience. I've had enough of trade craft to last a lifetime. It almost lasted both our lifetimes. Right now just give me plain old graft and corruption with the sizzle of an occasional sordid affair thrown in."

Kate reached across the table to lightly tweak his nose. "Just so long as you aren't the one having the sordid affair."

Castle grabbed her fingers and kissed them. "Why would I do that when I have the love of my life right here? Hey, but listen. Sarah Needham is drawing up the plans for the nursery. I thought that maybe it's time to start thinking about furniture, something worthy of a Caskett baby."

Kate shook her head doubtfully. "Castle I know you had to start with Sarah now, but wouldn't furniture be jumping the gun a little? I mean I don't want to jinx things."

Castle twisted a lock of her hair around his finger. "You know for someone who is supposed to be a total skeptic about the supernatural, you are remarkably superstitious. But in this case we wouldn't really be jumping the gun. You remember Bill Garrett, cyber cop turned wood worker?"

"Sure. He helped us solve a couple of murders and prevent a couple more," Kate recalled. "What about him?"

"He makes custom furniture, including cribs and rocking chairs. It's all very slow and very painstaking and unlikely to be ready much before BG make her entrance. I thought we might visit his workshop and look at some samples. He's using all green finishes these days. No evil fumes to menace mother or child."

"I take it you've been talking to him," Kate assumed.

"Uh huh," Castle admitted. "Not a big fan of babies getting killed when the slats of their cribs break. I did some research. You know there are about 10K crib injuries every year and about a hundred of those kids die? I just want to make sure BG is safe. And if her furniture is super cool too, well that's just the Castle way."

Kate reached around the remnants of their meal to squeeze his hand. "Castle, you've hardly made your concern for BG's safety a secret. If you were any more concerned you would have tried to encase me in armor."

"I've thought about it," Castle admitted, "but armor doesn't allow much room for expansion. So you want to go see Bill Garrett or not? He'll be there now. He's a night owl. He likes working in the evening."

"Something the two of you have in common," Kate noted. "Sure Castle, we can go take a look at what he can do."

* * *

From the outside, Garrett's shop looked unimpressive, one of many old industrial buildings in the far reaches of the outer boroughs. The inside was more of an industrious elf's abode. The air was scented with fresh cut wood. Hand tools were neatly organized and outlined on a pegboard. Power tools were few, but scrupulously maintained. Samples of complicated turnings and patterns were displayed, as were smaller pieces of furniture. Kate was immediately drawn to a cradle in a corner. Unlike the displays, it was completely devoid of complicated designs, just lovingly shaped, sanded to perfect smoothness and finished with a varnish emanating warmth.

"I made that for my grand niece," Garrett explained. "She's due in about two weeks, although right now my niece would prefer about two seconds. I can make something like that, or a similar pattern in a crib, for you. I have some software we can use to sketch it out."

"You can take the boy out of the cyber but you can't take the cyber out of the boy," Castle teased.

Bill Garrett laughed. "I use accounting software too. I didn't turn into a complete Luddite. I just like the feel of the wood under my hands a lot better than the feel of a keyboard under my fingers. And I don't need to see any more cyber bullying victims turn into murderers. So if you're ready, just tell me what you want for your daughter and I'll see about making it happen."

Kate was seated in an unpadded wooden rocking chair that was nevertheless completely comfortable. Castle stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders, and using stylus on a tablet, Bill Garrett began to draw a worthy sleeping place for precious Caskett cargo.


	39. Chapter 39

Life Goes On

Chapter 39

The band at club Margo was loud and the press of bodies on the dance floor fully immersed in gyrations to its pounding rhythms. The chances of being overheard were close to zero. Hayley climbed onto a high stool at a minuscule table Jared Gable already occupied. He was sipping a drink that Hayley guessed consisted of sparkling water with a slice of lime for effect. She took a sip of the beer she had obtained from the bar. "What do you need, Gable?"

"Do I need anything to contact an old friend?" Jared inquired.

"I checked," Hayley informed him. "You've been in New York for six months without even ringing me up, so you can spare me the tosh. What do you want?"

"Fine!" Jared retorted. "There's a painting went missing from a museum in Frankfurt about six months ago."

"The Kahn, yes I heard," Hayley responded. "Is that why you came to New York? You suspect whoever nicked it brought it here?"

"More than suspect," Jared declared. "It's been seen. Yesterday a photograph surfaced, but it doesn't reveal the painting's location. I was hoping that if there's a GPS encoded in it, you could help me pin it down - for a reasonable bit of the finder's fee, naturally."

"Any idea who stole it?" Hayley asked.

"No," Jared replied. "Just that whoever did it was good, very good. Came in through the skylight, never set off an alarm. No DNA, hair, fibers, nothing. Just an empty wall."

Hayley smiled in admiration. "Sounds brill. Like to meet the bloke. Bring your photo by Richard Castle Investigations tomorrow and I'll see what I can sort out."

* * *

Kate's office had the usual parade of petitioners, leaving Alexis to wait impatiently for the chance to talk to her stepmother in private. Kate wasn't free until well into the lunch hour. Alexis grabbed her own lunch from the office refrigerator and went to join Kate, who was attempting to wrap her mouth around a section of a gigantic sandwich Castle had packed for her. "Wow, Dad has outdone himself," Alexis commented," except for when he made that I.R.T. sandwich that actually looked like the I.R.T.. He must have spent hours painting windows on that thing with food coloring. Then he actually put it on tracks for a theme party he gave about a murder on a subway. But the one you're eating is a very close second."

"Uh huh," Kate agreed. "He says he's feeding me for two but he acts like it's more like six. I'll be saving a lot of this to give to the homeless guys hanging out over the grate by the subway. But you didn't come in here to talk about your father's culinary excesses. Did you find out anything else about Charisma Clarridge?"

"I did," Alexis confirmed. "She did go to Holyoke, but she only had a partial scholarship, and no summer job would have come close to making up the rest of the cost of her tuition. She graduated with about 200K in debt. The job she got at Briggs and Bunch after she got her degree was good, but not good enough. She was driving a fifteen year old car and eating instant noodles. Then all of a sudden, she's driving a new car. She comes to work for the Public Advocate's office, making a lot less than she did with Briggs and Bunch, about 40K, but she's able to afford a two bedroom apartment in Manhattan - and not a rent controlled one either."

"Even a walk up would cost her more than her entire salary," Kate realized.

Alexis nodded. "Exactly. Not only that, she has some sizable charges for clothes and entertainment and her cards are paid off every month. I checked. There was no inheritance. She didn't hit the lottery or get any other kind of a windfall. Someone's been paying her to pass on information, and paying her pretty well."

"Have you been able to trace the funds?" Kate inquired.

"No," Alexis admitted. "Nothing unusual is running through her local bank account, the one she uses for direct deposit of her city paycheck. But her rent and her credit cards are being paid by direct transfer from another account in the Caymens. That's where my trail stopped. It's a numbered account, requiring a password, and I can't hack it. Hayley might be able to. I could ask her."

"No don't," Kate cautioned. "And I'm glad you couldn't either. Those funds may in effect be a bribe to a public employee. That is a crime. I'm going to want to turn the information over to the D.A. and if the evidence is illegally obtained, it could be thrown out or worse, we could be charged with a crime ourselves. We're going to have to go at it another way. You think you could make friends with Charisma? Find out where she goes. See if you can observe her using an ATM. The computer she uses here is city property, so we can legally monitor it. We can check the security monitors in the building and the parking area too, see if she meets up with anyone. Sooner or later she's going to slip. I'm hoping for sooner."

* * *

Hayley scanned the photo Jared Gable had presented to her. Very little could be seen in the background behind the painting, just a wall painted in standard Navajo white. The surface was flat and non-reflective, eliminating the chance of catching an image of the photographer. There was a pattern resulting from embedded GPS code, however. "It's a building in Borough Park," Hayley reported, bringing up a satellite view. "Large residential building, probably at least sixty flats. That's a lot of families to check out."

"It beats having to check out the whole bloody city," Jared replied. "Good job, Hayley. I'll be in touch."

Jared made his own way out, leaving Hayley regarding the image on her screen. "Borough Park, who lives in Borough Park?" she muttered to herself and brought up Google. "Bloody hell!" she exclaimed. "A painting pinched from Germany and brought to New York, especially a Kahn. I should have known. Bleeding Nazi's copped it during the war and someone just nicked it back. Bollocks!. Gable's working for the wrong side."

Not far away, Castle carefully balanced a cardboard carrier from Shake It Up Baby. The RCI office was on his way back to the loft, so while he fetched Kate's favorite strawberry concoction, he'd decided to pick up the chocolate version for Hayley. When he arrived in reception, Hayley was pacing up and down spitting dark curses under her breath. He held out her darkly sweet king sized shake. She took it without her characteristic enthusiasm. "What's wrong?" Castle asked.

"Just put an old colleague on a road he shouldn't be traveling. Castle, you know how the Nazi's ripped off everything from the Jewish community during World War Two, especially the art?"

"Of course," Castle responded. "I wrote about it in one of my books. I had a very sexy retrieval expert restoring some of it to it's rightful owners, based it on a real person Kate and I bumped heads with during a murder investigation. She's amazing!"

"If she's the one who snatched this painting I may just have put Jared Gable, an old mate of mine, on the trail of her client. And once he's onto something like that, nothing I say will pull him back. I should warn her."Do you know where I can find her?" Hayley inquired hopefully."

"It just so happens," Castle replied smugly, "I do."


	40. Chapter 40

Life Goes On

Chapter 40

"Rick," Serena Kaye greeted him as Castle kissed her on the cheek at her New York office, "I haven't seen you since the Lancaster affair. No hard feelings, I hope."

"None at all Serena," Castle assured her. "You may have gotten the finder's fee but I got five chapters out of it and about a week of making Beckett jealous."

"I would assume that's no longer necessary since you two have found such wedded bliss," Serena offered.

"I flourish only in the light of Kate's happiness," Castle announced. "But allow me to introduce my associate, Hayley Shipton."

Serena gave a nod of acknowledgment. "Yes, Ms. Shipton. Your reputation has preceded you. You've done me out of several finders fees in the last eight years or so. Are we competing again, or is this an offer of collaboration? Rick and I did pretty well with that once."

"Are you familiar with the Kahn that was stolen from the Frankfurt museum?" Hayley inquired.

"I would think liberated might be a better term," Serena responded, "but yes. Is it of concern to you? Last I heard, the museum's insurance carrier had rather unsuccessfully employed someone to attempt to retrieve it. I wasn't aware it was you."

"It wasn't, it was Jared Gable, but I'm sure you know that," Hayley replied. "He's a former associate of mine. But here's where things have gone pear shaped. He asked me to get him a location on a picture of the painting yesterday and I did, but I was unaware at the time that it had been looted by the Nazis. I believe that now it's in the rightful hands, but that won't stop Jared from trying to nick it back."

"And you think this would be of interest to me why?" Serena queried, her smile failing to light her eyes.

"The job in Frankfort was dead clean, Serena," Castle interjected. "That has your fingerprints, or rather lack of same, all over it. If you did retrieve it, you need to protect your client."

"Look, I'm just trying to make the best of a bad job here," Hayley added.

"Hypothetically, if I had anything to do with the restoration of the Kahn I'll urge my client to take appropriate precautions," Serena responded. "And I'm sure the client will be grateful for the heads up. Thank you both. And Rick, I caught Kate on the news. She's glowing. Congratulations."

"She's always been a heavenly body, now there are two sources of brilliance," Castle declared, his chest expanding. "But thank you."

Serena and Hayley exchanged looks of nauseous indulgence. "Right. Looks like we've got this organized," Hayley concluded.

* * *

Alexis put her bag on her shoulder and slowly made her way past Charisma's work space before turning back and doing her best to feign an afterthought. "Hey Charisma, I heard there's a new food truck from the chef who won that race on Food Central. I'm going to check it out. You want to come?"

"Don't you usually eat with Advocate Beckett?" Charisma inquired.

"She has a lunch meeting," Alexis explained.

"I didn't see anyone go in there," Charisma observed suspiciously.

"It's by Go to Meeting, on her computer," Alexis added hurriedly. "Anyway she's busy. So you want to join me? The truck should be parked only a couple of blocks from here. It won't be too freezing a walk."

"Alright," Charisma agreed. "I don't have anything better and that chef's assistant! Yummy! He should have been the one in front of the camera a lot more."

Alexis giggled. "I know, right? Maybe if we're in luck we'll see him."

Patches of glare ice made the walk to the truck more treacherous than Alexis had expected. At one point she reached out to keep Charisma from falling, a gesture that was met with grudging appreciation. The handsome assistant was nowhere to be seen, but the food was definitely worth the trudge. Containers well enough insulated to let the heat of the food survive the trek back were loaded with hearty split pea soup made with generous chunks of ham, freshly baked warm rolls, and lovingly heated apple pie, fragrant with spice. The women brought their orders back to the office and shared a table in the break room.

"So why did you come to work for Advocate Becket?" Charisma questioned, digging into her soup. "I know she's your step mother but weren't you working for your father doing glamorous P.I. stuff?"

"Not so glamorous," Alexis confided. "Mostly sitting in front of a computer tracking down deadbeats who'd skipped out on their bills. Not the noir world I had envisioned. Besides, it took me so long to figure out a major at Columbia that I needed to get in a couple of extra classes before I graduate. I can get credit for public service work. And doing that, I can still live in student housing. I mean who can afford a decent apartment in New York, right? I would need six roommates and we'd have to sleep in shifts."

"Couldn't your father help you out?" Charisma wondered."Isn't he like a millionaire or something, with all those best sellers?"

"He is and he could," Alexis admitted, "but I don't want him to. I'd rather know I can make it on my own. How about you? You can't be making much more than I do. How do you afford to live in the city? Do you have roommates?"

Alexis observed Charisma's eyes darting around the room as she tried to craft an answer. "I have my own place, but I sort of lucked into a deal." Charisma fell quiet.

Alexis tried to get the conversation going again. "Lucked has got to be the word. That's amazing! So I guess if you want to have someone over, you don't have to worry about interruptions either."

"I don't have to worry about them anyway," Charisma confided. "I had someone in school, but when we got out, we had to go in two different directions. I stayed on this coast and he found a job in Oregon. We tried the bi-coastal thing for a few months, but it just didn't work out. I haven't had anyone serious since."

"I hear you," Alexis commiserated. "I tried one of those long distance things too. My boyfriend went to California. That didn't work out either. Then I had another relationship that turned out to be a disaster. So right now it's just work for me also. Sounds like we have that in common. But seeing as neither one of us is seeing anyone special, you want to try a girls night out? My Gram is on Broadway and she has lots of connections. You like musicals? She could probably even get us in to see _Hamilton_."

"Wow, I have been wanting to see that," Charisma confessed.

"Great! I'll talk to Gram and let you know when I have something worked out. We could do drinks and one of those after the show suppers too," Alexis proposed. "You know, the whole New York theater experience."

"Sounds like fun," Charisma conceded.

Alexis started to clear away the empty food containers and made a show of consulting the time on her phone. "Back to the salt mines. Talk to you later."

After the women were back at their workstations, Alexis made sure Charisma was too fully engaged in her own work to pay further attention to what Alexis was doing. Rather than knocking on the door of Kate's office, Alexis sent off a quick email. "Operation BFF underway. Just need _Hamilton_ tickets."

Kate smiled as an email alert sounded on her phone. Alexis never ceased to amaze her. Now the truly difficult part of the operation would begin, getting the hottest tickets in town. She touched the icon for Martha Rodgers and just hoped the diva could come through.

A/N Wouldn't have thought you guys had such a hate on for Serena, considering she walked away from Castle when she realized he and Beckett were meant to be a pair. The reason he would keep track of her is that she is a potential competitor for RCI and an interesting character to write about. No romance implied. He's a one woman man and she knows it. I think she is genuinely happy for Rick and Kate. She also does good work. A lot of families deserve to have what was stolen from them returned.


	41. Chapter 41

Life Goes On

Chapter 41

Holding a pair of binoculars in the park across the street, Jared Gable surveyed the building Hayley had located for him. After twenty hours of exhaustive computer searches, he had narrowed the candidates for possession of the Kahn down to three, all grandchildren or great grandchildren of holocaust survivors. They occupied apartments on the second, fourth, and sixth floors, but would all have to use one of three ways to get in or out of the building. One of those ways was through the garage, but he had already identified their cars, and from his vantage point, he would see them drive off. If they ventured to leave by foot, they would be in his field of vision. Whatever happened, as soon as one of them departed, he would use the tools of his trade to enter their apartment. To himself he could admit that he was not quite the expert at B& E's that Hayley was, perhaps part of her heritage from her imprisoned mother. But his skills were more than sufficient for his current endeavor. He didn't have to wait long. He recognized the Lincoln pulling out into the street, but double checked the plate number to be sure. It was Hershel Gross, inhabitant of 6C. Jared had his chance.

* * *

Martha had come through with Hamilton tickets. The were for the cheapest showing, a Wednesday, which wouldn't allow Alexis quite as lengthy a night to bond with Charisma as she had wished, but they would do. Alexis and Charisma used a coffee break to plan their outing. First stop would be the Razor Clam for the newest drink, the Beach Burrower. Then they would in the fourth row of the Richard Rodgers Theater. Finally they would move on to Sardi's for the post-theater supper. The meal would be expensive and with neither woman wanting to hint at an extra source of funds, they joked about having peanut butter and jelly lunches for a few weeks afterward.

In line with operation BFF, Kate had asked Nettie to assign the two women to the project to hunt down suitable city owned properties to serve as possible childcare facilities. Their excursions to tour the sites would throw them together, as well as allow some genuine progress to be achieved toward the goal of affordable services. In a bid to exorcise past demons, the first place Kate chose to send them was the strip joint in Queens she and Vikram had used as their headquarters in the hunt for LokSat. Vikram's equipment had long since been removed but all the other accouterments remained. Alexis and Charisma had laughed together over the stripper pole and the neon signs, but Alexis allowed that the pole might be fun for kids to play on, and certainly sturdy enough. They also checked the bar to see if any supplies had been left behind, but except for a few jars of very old olives were disappointed. The square footage seemed more than adequate and the building was in good shape. The neighborhood was decidedly working class, making a clientele needing affordable services very likely. Both Alexis and Charisma agreed that the building should stay on the possibles list, to be passed on to a professional city inspector.

On the way back, Alexis insisted on stopping at an ATM for cash so she could avail herself of one of the few remaining throwback lunch counters that still made egg creams. Charisma took the opportunity as well and Alexis carefully noted what card her companion used. It was not from a local bank. Alexis also observed as Charisma punched in her P.I.N.. Her investigation was definitely making progress.

* * *

Castle closed the lid of his laptop in frustration. He had been trying to write a scene where his literary protagonist, Colin, pours out his loneliness in the pages of a composition book, only to have his writings snatched and read by his roommate at boarding school. Castle's attempts to commit to the page the mortification and wrenching nausea his character experienced were continually derailed by the banging and whine of power tools from the next room. He tried to compensate, using the noise canceling headphones he employed on airplane flights, but could still sense the presence of others too close by, inhibiting him from fully allowing his emotions to transform into his words. He would have loved to take his computer to a nearby pocket park for some solitude, but the wind chill was at five below and wearing gloves heavy enough to keep his fingers from freezing would make typing difficult at best. He finally decided to work in the office in the basement of The Old Haunt. His visits to the bar he owned had grown less frequent with Kate's pregnancy and the increase in his writing schedule, but the battered antique desk was his to occupy anytime he wished. Once Castle was ensconced below them, the patrons would be unaware of his presence. Brian, his bartender/manager wouldn't need access to the basement until the close of business, when Castle hoped to be long curled up with Kate.

The work crew had been carefully vetted, so Castle was able to provide them with a key to the loft and take off. As he made his way to the underground garage, he realized that his freedom to pick a writing venue at his whim would be short lived. Once BG was born, she would be spending most of her hours with him, or he would be taking her to Kate to nurse and visit. He would be able to write around the baby's schedule. He'd managed to do so, and gladly, with Alexis, but if BG was anything like Alexis, it would mean months of sleep deprivation. Castle hated to admit it, but the passage of a couple of decades and the damage from Caleb Brown's bullet, meant that he didn't have the stamina he'd had for his first round of parenting. The first months especially would be joyful but draining. He would have to get as much done before that time arrived as he could.

Like most bars, The Old Haunt was relatively quiet until happy hour. Two aspiring writers occupied booths, working on laptops and trying to absorb the magic of their literary predecessors. Castle greeted them briefly, offering encouragement. A few cops from the Twelfth, on their day off, were at the bar discussing the ins and outs of the Jeffords captaincy vs those of Montgomery, Beckett, and Gates. They muted their conversation when they caught sight of the proprietor. Castle would have been curious to hear their opinions of Kate, but given the uproar during much of her tenure, considered the possibility that it could be something less than flattering to his wife. It might be just as well Castle wouldn't be successful at eavesdropping.

The basement was peaceful enough for Castle to allow his feelings to flow through his fingers and he found that he was breathing raggedly and wiping tears from his face by the time he finished the scene. While he was resting his face in his hands, exhausted but proud, his cell phone dinged a text alert. It took Castle a moment to check it. Bill Garrett had finished the working drawings for BG's furniture and had some wood samples to show to him and Kate. Bill wanted to know if the couple wished to come by his shop that evening. Castle was eager to see what Bill had come up with and called Kate to see if she would be available. At least through the speaker on his cell, Kate sounded tired, but she agreed to making the trip after dinner.


	42. Chapter 42

Life Goes On

Chapter 42

Jared Gable swore lustily when he reached Hershel Gross's apartment. Not only did the old man have one of the old fashioned New York locks employing a metal bar going into the floor, a pain in the bum to pick, but the emblem of an alarm company was affixed to the door. Having no idea how long Gross would be gone, Jared knew he'd have to work quickly. The first step would be determining if there actually was an alarm system or the sticker on the door was just a bluff to deter inexperienced thieves. Using a pencil thin beam, he scanned the crack around the door frame for contacts. There were none. No sign of an alarm. Exhaling heavily, Jared examined his set of picks to find the ones least likely to break in the massive lock. The lubrication on the aged device left much to be desired, making torsion even more difficult, but eventually the tumblers fell and the restraining bar slid in its mounting. Cautiously, Jared pushed the door open and looked around. In the corner of the room was an infra-red motion detector aimed at the door. "Bollocks!" Jared exclaimed staring at an empty Navajo white wall bearing a faint imprint where a painting had been. An alarm began to scream. Jared ran from the apartment and down six flights of stairs to the back door. Pulling the collar of his heavy coat up to shield his face, he made his way to his car.

* * *

Automatically assuring Castle she loved him before putting down her cell phone, Kate looked at her father's watch. There were hours yet to go on her day and it seemed she'd already spent an eternity in her office. Rather than the usual parade of petitioners, the morning had brought a visit from a representative of the Comptroller's Office. Theoretically, Kate outranked the Comptroller. She was second in line to the mayor and he was third. Somehow the office that held the purse strings didn't see it that way. Kate's investigation of city owned properties and especially her proposal that they be used for something other than to generate a profit, had caused a major kerfuffle. Kate could certainly push her cause in a bill to the council, but the Comptroller's Office considered it their responsibility to squeeze every penny they could out of city assets. Kate could see their point, but felt that affordable childcare would be more of a benefit to the citizens of New York than just raising funds. The argument had reached a depressing stalemate.

She checked the small refrigerator in her office to see what Castle had shoved in her lunch bag that morning. Instead of a sandwich, there was a giant chef's salad, a roll, and a banana to which Castle had affixed a sticky note saying, "Think of me." Despite her mood, she couldn't help smiling. The bottom of the bag held a triple chocolate brownie. "Thank God!" she breathed, grabbing it. "Or thank Castle," she muttered on second thought. At least until the chocolate high faded, the budget blues would be held at bay.

* * *

Hayley had spent the morning in surveillance of an electronics warehouse where considerable shrinkage had been detected at the last inventory. Employee pilfering had seemed unlikely, since orders were scanned and filled by robots. Hayley had attempted to understand the code controlling the devices, but it was proprietary to the manufacturer and even her hacking skills were not up to the task of grasping a completely unknown programming language. The warehouse was huge with multiple robots picking merchandise and delivering it for shipment. Monitoring the number of cameras she would have needed to spot a problem would have been unwieldy at best and impossible at worst, so Hayley decided to use her eyes and her instincts. She picked one robot and observed it from a mezzanine with a scope. It was a tedious task. The robot scanned bar codes and picked items with corresponding codes without a single break in activity. Finally, Hayley noticed a light activating on the device, indicating a low charge. The robot returned to its recharging station, but as it did, picked up an item and delivered it to another shelf, instead of to shipping. "That's barmy," Hayley muttered.

While the target of her observations was charging, she picked another to watch. When it also returned to its recharging station, it put an item on the same shelf. Hayley observed several other robots do the same, until a final robot picked all the items the other robots had stashed and delivered them to shipping. A grin spread over Hayley's face. "Got you, you bugger!" She left her post to determine the recipient of the aberrant shipment.

* * *

Castle heard Kate's key in the door as she let herself into the loft. He greeted her with concern as she dropped to the couch kicking off her almost sensible heels. "Wow Kate, you must have actually left the office on time to get here this early. Dinner's still in the oven. Are you feeling all right?"

Kate sniffed the air appreciatively. "Lasagna?"

Castle nodded. "Your Nona's recipe. But you didn't answer my question."

"I'm fine Babe," she assured him, "just a crappy bureaucratic day. It seems like every time I try to make something decent happen in this city, some bean counter can't wait to throw a wrench in it. Our childcare plan could be the latest casualty."

"That doesn't sound like the kick ass wife I know and love, even when she's kicking mine," Castle worried. "You're not giving up are you?"

"No Castle, I'm not giving up, I'm just disgusted. You wouldn't have any more of those brownies like you stuck in my lunch, would you? Just to hold me until the lasagna's ready."

"Pasta's coming out in five minutes. You wouldn't want to insult your Nona by ruining your dinner. How about a foot rub until then," Castle cajoled, "or juice to fill your folic acid quota?"

"You had me at the foot rub, Castle," Kate replied settling wearily against the cushions.

Castle cradled one foot in his hands. "If you're this wiped out, should I call Bill Garrett and reschedule?"

"No," Kate insisted. "I really want to see what he's come up with. It will be a relief to see someone who is actually interested in getting something constructive done."

* * *

Smug at the closure of another case, Hayley returned to the offices of RCI to generate a report which would support a substantial invoice. With Alexis working undercover for Kate, the place was deserted. She used her key to let herself in, then punched in the security code on the pad near the door. As she entered the last digit, Jared Gable charged in behind her holding a Glock 43. He pushed her inside and against the desk. "You really cocked-up my job didn't you? Had to have been you. No one else knew!"

Hayley carefully inched her way toward the release for Castle's concealed gun. "You're talking bilge, Gable. I've been on a job all day."

"Well then you found some wanker to do it for you, but I'm out fifty thousand quid."

Hayley popped the gun up into her hand and kicked the Glock out of his. "You'll be out more than that if you don't get out of here now, Jared."

Jared's eyes glazed with the acid tinge of fury. "Fine Hayley. But I'm going to make it even. You won't know when and you won't know how, but it's coming, gint. Count on it." He backed out the door. Hayley leaned against the desk and just breathed.

* * *

Bill Garrett pinned the plans for BG's crib and dresser and Kate's rocking chair to a large cork board for the Castle's perusal. He presented Kate with several short but smoothly sanded pieces of wood. "When you were here before, you seemed to prefer darker woods and a warm look. And the cradle you were looking at had a varnish but no stain, so you'll probably want to go with the natural color of the wood. I used to recommend mahogany for those who could afford it, but it's not grown in sustainable forests, so I've stopped working with it. I though you might like cherry or walnut." He pointed to a sample that was almost white. "But if you want something paler, more delicate, you could try the birch."

Kate shook her head. "I don't think this baby will ever be described as delicate. She's already got her front kicks and she's working on her roundhouses. Definitely something with some color to it," She stroked another sample and smiled. "I like the cherry." She turned back to Castle almost as an afterthought. "What do you think Babe?"

Castle smoothed her hair with his hand, inhaling the faint cherry scent. "You and cherries have always been terrific together. And whatever my favorite sensei chooses, to bring harmony my daughter's dojo, is outstanding with me.


	43. Chapter 43

Life Goes On

Chapter 43

Coat on and bag on her shoulder, Alexis passed casually by Charisma Clarridge's workstation. "The taco place is having a two for. You want to go?" she offered.

Charisma looked at the time displayed in the corner of her screen. Mirai Tanaka was scheduled to call any minute and the last thing she wanted was to be overheard by Alexis. "No, I've got some stuff to finish up here," she demurred. "Next time?"

"Sure," Alexis agreed.

Alexis made it as far as the ladies room. The look she'd seen on Charisma's face was familiar and definitely more apprehensive than swamped. Alexis settled into a stall, sitting tailor fashion on top of the lid of the toilet, and waited. Charisma was already talking as she hurried in and braced herself in a corner. "She's just had me working on the childcare project," Charisma insisted, her voice trembling. "She's had me teaming up with her stepdaughter though. That might give us something." Charisma stopped, apparently listening to a response. "No there wasn't anything else - oh wait - when Alexis' father, Advocate Beckett's husband, was here, I heard a few words before they closed the door. I think she was mentioning Benny Patero. I couldn't hear what she said, but it didn't sound good." Charisma stopped again. "No, I swear, that's all there was Ms. Tanaka. Yes, I'll keep an eye on Alexis. I missed a chance to have lunch with her because of this call. We might try a different time, maybe eleven? Oh, okay, four. Yes."

Alexis could hear Charisma's ragged breathing when the call ended. She knew Charisma was onto her. But she also had a name, one Hayley had mentioned as well. To avoid suspicion, when Alexis left her hiding place, she made the short walk to Tico Taco, picking up her freebie, with extra hot sauce, for Kate. When she returned, Kate's door was closed, typical for one of the string of morning meetings with her constituents. Alexis checked her watch. The meeting was already overtime and Kate would be getting hungry-grouchy. The door wouldn't be closed for long.

* * *

Sharing her conference table with Alexis, Kate inhaled the fumes of the hot sauce before taking a healthy bite of Alexis' offering. She wiped a drop of red from the corner of her mouth after swallowing. "So, Charisma knows you're trying to pump her and she's trying to pump you?"

"That's what it sounded like," Alexis confirmed. "And she was talking to a woman named Tanaka."

"That's the CEO of TK Enterprises, the company that makes the drone that tried to peek through the window of the loft," Kate recalled. "Sounds like she's into more than flying peeping toms."

"She also told Tanaka that you mentioned Benny Patero," Alexis added. "I couldn't hear anything Tanaka said, but from the way Charisma reacted, it couldn't have been good."

Kate nodded slowly. "Mm, Benny voted to ban the drones, but he didn't look happy about it. He was sweating enough to fill an aquarium. If he's on the take from her or the rats nest of holding companies TK is part of, she would have been very unhappy with his vote. And his finances are suspect. Have you been able to do anything with the info you got about Charisma's ATM card or her PIN?"

Alexis shook her head while chewing on a piece of tortilla shell. That's in Hayley's skill set not mine. She's been working on a couple of other cases. You know, Dad helped her with one of them. Then when I talked to her this morning she sounded upset or something. It wasn't like her. She's usually calm no matter what happens. But anyway, I didn't want to put anything else on her, especially since you said you didn't want to strain the resources of RCI."

"Right," Kate agreed. "But she did put together a file on TK. That information has suddenly become relevant to much more than just the control of drones. Can you get your hands on it?"

"If she generated it using the RCI system, I should have access," Alexis mused, "but we shouldn't reach it through the city computer system. It could be monitored. Dad would have access too. He wouldn't even need to go to RCI. He has a direct link into the system from his server in the loft. He could make you a hard copy and bring it over or have it waiting for you when you go home."

"I think I'll just ask him when I get home," Kate decided. "He's been working really hard on his writing projects. He's trying to finish the last of Alex's book, he's been outlining a new Nikki Heat, and also working on his literature thing."

"Whatever happened to my sleep 'til noon and procrastinate 'til dinner dad?" Alexis wondered.

"Alexis, I don't think he's existed since your father started following me around at the precinct. I mean besides putting in almost as much cop time as I did, he was also putting out one or two best sellers a year, much as he worked at keeping up the lazy big kid persona. But since the shooting, and especially since we've been expecting BG, he's become more intense. I think we both realized that there's only so much time and we want to make the most of it. I'm trying to do that here and your father is doing by concentrating more on his writing."

Despite the heat of her lunch, Alexis gave a little shudder. "Kate, it was bad enough when Dad went missing, and then when the two of you were shot. I don't even want to think about the day when he'll be gone - either one of you really."

Kate reached out to put a hand on her stepdaughter's shoulder. "Alexis, I think that's still going to be a long time from now. Your dad is fine. We both are. We'll have BG to raise. I think that now he has a Poe, your dad has his sights set on a Pulitzer, and I'm looking toward a law degree. We'll both be doing our best to stay around to do it all. I even think your father would love to see a grandchild or two, once he can get past the idea that you'd most likely have to be with a guy to make it happen."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Yeah, he sure wasn't happy at the possibility of my doing that with Pi."

"I think that was Pi specific," Kate concluded, "and you were only nineteen. He might have a more liberal view now - once he's done a thorough background check and made your prospective mate take a polygraph. You have any prospects?"

"Well, there is a guy in my Advancements in Forensics seminar," Alexis confided. "We've done coffee a couple of times, but I haven't had time for anything else, especially with trying to do the BFF thing with Charisma."

"Well obviously that's not going to last much longer," Kate pointed out. "Now that we know where to look, we should be able to get enough dirt on the graft in the City Council, to hand the story off to a press whistle blower. I think your father already has someone in mind, Paul Whittaker."

"The reporter who married that cop who was the Lone Avenger?" Alexis queried.

"That's right. And she's helped him turn his hand to crime busting exposés," Kate related, "although he can still draw a mean comic book. It'll make a hell of a tale. I think your father might use it as a jumping off point for his next Nikki Heat too."

"Then I guess we'd better finish our part of the investigation," Alexis concluded.

"I guess we'd better," Kate echoed, and popped the last of her taco into her mouth.


	44. Chapter 44

Life Goes On

Chapter 44

Kate came home to a table set with gleaming china, sparkling stemware, and tall white tapers. Before she'd managed to shed her coat, Castle drew her in for a deep kiss. "What's going on, Babe?" she wondered, her head still muzzy from the fervent press of his lips.

"I finished Alex's book, or at least the proofing of all the chapters," Castle announced gleefully. "I'm sure Gina will still want some changes, to torture me if nothing else, but all the hardest work is done. That calls for a celebration."

"It does," Kate agreed, "which makes it easier to ask you for something that may make it a double."

Castle wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive wave. "Oh, and what would that be?"

"Not what you're thinking Castle," she informed him regretfully, "at least not at this moment. Your sleuthing daughter uncovered something today and I need the file Hayley put together on Mirai Tanaka. Looks like she may be at the center of the whole mess with the council. Alexis said you could download it from here."

"Absolutely," Castle agreed. "It may take a few minutes. Hayley did a lot of work on that project, although quite a bit of it had to do with hacking the drone to shoot that best forgotten footage of Jessica Persons. I assume that assault on the senses is not really the heart of the matter - not to mention that it might spoil dinner. I'll retrieve the file and we can have a toast while it's printing out."

Castle returned from his office a few moments later to fill the flutes on the table. "Red wine, Castle?" Kate queried. "You can drink it if you want Babe but..."

Castle pointed to the small print on the label. "Non-alcoholic. I remembered a wine loving TV chef started using this stuff after he stopped galloping around and found religion. Even righteous, his palate was still discerning. So I did some research and tracked down what he was drinking. Voila! Wine with dinner. If we work at it hard enough, we can still find a way to make our brains pleasantly fuzzy without the alcohol."

"So what are we toasting to?" Kate asked.

"Progress," Castle suggested. "For Alex's book, for your attempt to clean up city government, and incidentally for Bill telling me he has all the basic parts cut for BG's crib."

Kate raised her glass. "Salud!" Crystal chimed as their glasses met. Castle made a show of hooking arms so they could sip from each other's glasses. With their lips magnetically near, the urge to close the distance was irresistible. Their glasses were hastily set back on the table and Kate's hand found the back of Castle neck. She pulled him toward her, their twining tongues savoring the earthy tang the wine had left behind.

Mouths never parting, they rose from their chairs as one, the space between them shrinking into nonexistence. The room faded to a soft blur of light and sound around them as their bodies fought for communion. It wasn't enough. It could never be enough. Lips still melded, Castle lifted Kate in his arms, his strides quickly covering, by sense memory, the path to the bedroom. They fell on the bed together.

Kate's feet still held the boots she grudgingly wore to prevent spills on the almost invisible glaze of ice that was still setting traps on the sidewalk. Castle was fully dressed as well. For their private celebration he had spared himself only the constriction of a tie. They frantically kicked and tore the barriers away, boots and shoes thudding on the hardwood floor and clothes scattering in all directions. Castle pulled Kate above him, caressing the warm expanse of her belly lovingly before moving his hand lower. Kate's head fell back and the air was pushed from her lungs at the shock of his intimate touch. "Castle, oh God!" Even as she grew beneath the tips of his fingers, she quested to find his heat, stroking and coaxing it to an urgency matching her own.

The sensitive pink tips of her pregnancy heavy breasts screamed for attention. "Castle," she rasped, massaging one with her own fingers. Castle drew himself up to bring his mouth to her need. She ground against him as her arousal demanded more than hands and mouth could satisfy. "Now Babe! Please! Now!"

She guided him, gasping as she sheathed him. She rode desperately, every nerve screaming for input. Sensation spread through her like a wildfire as Castle's hands and mouth were everywhere, driving her need, yet pushing her closer to mind wrenching fulfillment. She could taste the approaching climax, as every cell in her body teetered on the edge. Her hidden muscles contracted in waves cresting beyond her control and she heard the sudden expulsion of breath from Castle's body even as she felt his release within her. The strength fled from her bones and she collapsed helplessly against the firm support of his chest.

As Castle's panting efforts to fill his lungs calmed to a less frantic intake of air, he kissed Kate's hair. It was, as always, enticingly fragrant, but now wildly dampened with effort. "Some toast!"

Kate lifted her head. "Castle I've developed a whole new respect for reformed bad boy chefs. I don't know where you got that wine, but you might consider buying stock in whomever produces it."

Castle grinned down at her. "I'll make a note for my business manager. Dinner is still on the table, and I don't hear the printer, so I imagine the Tanaka file is complete too. Which one would would you like to attack first?" Kate's stomach rumbled. He laughed. "I guess that answers my question. Steak Diane. Already pounded out and ready to sear and flambé."

"Castle it might be a good idea to put on something to protect the Castle legacy before you set anything on fire," Kate suggested.

"Point taken," Castle agreed, and slipped into shorts and a t-shirt before heading for the kitchen.

* * *

Kate swallowed the last of the succulent dessert strawberries. She felt only like curling up with Castle and enjoying the afterglow of good food and even better sex, but the niggling call of duty would not allow it. "Castle, I really need to look at that file now."

"Fine. You can look at it while I clean up from our gourmet repast." He turned, raising one brow. "Or at least the one involving food. A generous outflow of information should still be on the printer, unless our earth moving activities managed to knock it to the floor. I have a new box of file folders in the office. You can grab one to stick it in."

Kate left Castle in the kitchen and went to his office, returning quickly, holding up a bright orange folder. "Day-glow files, Castle?"

"Just trying to keep life interesting," Castle returned.

"I really don't think that's a problem," Kate offered, sinking into a chair to read. "Let's see, Mirai Tanaka. Born in the US, her parents were immigrants. They lived in both New York and Boston. Looks like there was a strong push for academic excellence. Private schools, then she went to Holyoke like Charisma Clarridge did, but fifteen years ahead of her. That was probably how Mirai got her hooks into Charisma, through alumni access. Then Mirai tied up with some guys at MIT. They started developing the technology that led to TK Enterprises, but Mirai also picked up an MBA and began her web of business contacts. From what Hayley has here, it looks like Mirai also developed a talent for blackmail, helped along by her access to cutting edge technology. That's probably how she managed to work her tentacles into so many companies and swallow up their holdings. It would appear that her latest feeding frenzy is aimed at New York City and she's using the tools she developed along the way to get the City Council to support her enterprises."

"If blackmail is her thing, then having the activity of her drones limited would be a huge setback," Castle supposed. "You know, the drone that was sent here, might not have come from the paparazzi at all. She might have been trying to get something on you, in preparation for your taking the leadership of the council. If she was, that was a huge miscalculation on her part. Shot in the foot by her own drone."

"Castle, by the time I'm done," Kate declared, "and with some help from our intrepid reporter friend, she'll have a lot more to worry about than a few missing toes."

Castle rubbed his hands to get in anticipation. "This will be something I can't wait to see."


	45. Chapter 45

Life Goes On

Chapter 45

The press conference was huge, so much so that despite the damp chill of early spring, it was held on the steps of City Hall. Kate was flanked on one side By Paul and Ann Whittaker and on the other by Castle, Alexis, and Hayley. In compensation for the distance from the podium microphones necessitated by her rapidly increasing girth, she raised her voice slightly as she addressed the massive assembly of media.

"This is a great city! I am proud to have been born and raised here. Over time New Yorkers have faced and met many challenges. Since my tenure as Public Advocate began, I became aware of a new challenge, one that both saddened and infuriated me. The laws and resources of this city should be used for the benefit of all of it's citizens. Unfortunately there have been those who would seek to reap these benefits only for themselves, endangering the rights and well being of all New Yorkers.

"Today, important steps have been taken to put an end to that travesty. Officials of all levels of our government, including several members of the City Council, have been charged with accepting bribes to influence or block legislation to protect those they should have been serving. The person behind those bribes, Mirai Tanaka, has been arrested and charged as well. I would like to thank the District Attorney's office for their efforts in this matter, but I particularly wish to acknowledge the hard work of those who made it possible."

Kate extended an arm and inclined her head toward the Whittakers. "I'm sure you are all aware of the series of articles by Paul Whittaker that thrust this problem into the sanitizing glare of public scrutiny. Investigations by both Paul and his wife Ann have been invaluable, and all the citizens of the city owe them their gratitude."

Kate turned her smile to Castle, Alexis and Hayley. "I would also like to thank Richard Castle Investigations for the time, energy, and resources, freely given to uncover the dark machinations that allowed this unfortunate situation to flourish. The support of my husband, my family, and Ms. Shipton, has been unflagging in this effort.

"There is much work to be done in this city, and a multitude of challenges we still face. It is my fervent hope that we can now take the steps to meet those challenges, unencumbered by the greedy few that would bar our path to a better life for all New Yorkers. Thank you all."

The press threw questions at Kate for an hour after her speech, while Castle stayed at her side and Hayley nervously scanned the crowd for any signs of trouble. When the reporters began to disperse to get their stories out, a young man with a microphone and smarmy smile approached Hayley. "Ms. Shipton, isn't it true that you have a criminal background yourself and that your mother is in prison?" Many members of the press turned back to listen.

"Hayley, you don't need to answer that," Castle counseled.

"It's fine, Castle," Hayley declared. She faced her questioner, defiantly scanning his press badge for a name. "Yes Mr. - Hurley, it is true that my mother is in prison. As has often been pointed out, one cannot pick one's parents. If by criminal background, you mean catching them, you are indeed correct. I trained and served in Scotland Yard as well as in another public service position. What I do in a private capacity is for the sake of my clients - and private. For anything else you want to know, you can try the Richard Castle Investigations website. You will find it quite lovely."

Hurley attempted to put a restraining hand on Hayley's arm as she turned to walk away. She removed it, exerting just enough pressure on a nerve center between his knuckles to make him wince. "You really don't want to do that, Mr. Hurley," she warned and walked away, leaving him staring after her.

"Hurley," Castle advised, towering over the man by a good five inches, "there is a much bigger story here today than Ms. Shipton, and your buddies are getting there ahead of you. You really should run along now."

Hurley stalked away, pulling out his phone as he went. He sent a terse text. "Step one executed."

Castle chased after Hayley. "Hey, is everything all right? You were pretty jumpy even before that asshole showed up and Alexis said you've been on edge lately. Hayley, you know if something's wrong you don't have to go it alone, right? Alexis, I, and Kate, we're all here for you."

"Everything is brilliant, Castle," she assured him. "Just take care of Kate. She looks like she's about to pop any minute."

"It's supposed be about another month, but I am. I'm going to take her home."

"Then off with you," Hayley urged. "Go on, Castle, everything's fine."

* * *

Kate flopped on the couch in the loft. "Babe, you were quiet all the way home. Definitely not like you. I thought things went pretty well. Is something wrong I don't know about?"

Castle automatically pulled off Kate's shoes. "I think something is going on with Hayley. Alexis thinks so too, but Hayley insists everything is fine."

"Women have their secrets, Castle, you know that," Kate reminded him. "And Hayley's better at keeping them than most. You had no idea she was keeping an eye on you for your father until she told you. If there really is something, she'll tell you when she's ready."

"Yeah well, keeping secrets around here has been pretty close to fatal and Hayley's been involved with all kinds of questionable characters. I just hope that when and if she does decide to speak up, it won't be too late." Castle worried.

"She can take care of herself, Castle," Kate asserted. "She's been doing it for a long time. But if she needs help, we'll be there."

"Right," Castle agreed. "And hey, on a happier note, Bill Garrett texted me while you were preparing for your speech this afternoon."

"Which I didn't thank you for writing," Kate put in.

"Well I didn't write all of your little shout out to RCI, but you're welcome," Castle responded. "And about Bill, he said he finished your first rocking chair. That's the last piece for the nursery. He's got a truck and he wanted to know when he could bring it all over. The contractors are almost finished with the room. They're just putting in the last storage module and they've got all the painting done. So if we want to put the furniture in there now, there shouldn't be anything to damage it. He could deliver the pieces to me almost anytime, but I didn't know if you'd want to be here."

"You know Castle," Kate replied thoughtfully, "This is kind of a milestone. I think I would like to be here. I know I tried the rocker to make sure it fit me when he was roughing it out, but I would like to be the first one in it now that it's actually done."

Castle caressed her cheek. "I get it, Mama's rocker. Well one of them anyway, he's just started making the duplicate for your office. How about tomorrow night then? For now you can just bask in the satisfaction of busting municipal dirtbags."

Kate swung her feet up on the couch, leaned back against a throw pillow, and closed her eyes. "Castle, that sounds just perfect."


	46. Chapter 46

Life Goes On

Chapter 46

Hayley scowled at her computer screen. That bugger Vincent Hurley had put his story out. It was only on a blog, and not a popular one, but it had been tweeted, re-tweeted, shared to Facebook, and tweeted some more. The result was that it seemed to be many stories instead of many repetitions of one that was highly questionable. The real problem was that it contained too much truth for comfort. The poxy plonker had ventured a guess at what Hayley had meant by another public service position and come up with MI-5. He portrayed her as some sort of female Bond who had turned to the dark side as a domestic spy and thief. As she continued to read, she slowly rethought her conclusion that Hurley had made a lucky guess. There was too much reality mixed in with the rubbish. Hurley had a source and Hayley had a good guess as to whom that source might be. She considered taking her problem to Castle. If she was smeared, RCI would suffer by association. It could even affect Kate's position. She pushed the idea aside. She had created this mess, she would clean it up. First she had to chase down Jared Gable, and there was one person who could point the way. She needed to pay a call on Vincent Hurley.

Hurley wasn't difficult to locate. In an effort to obtain employment in more mainstream journalism, he had posted his resume on every possible site. His contact information was available multiple times on the first search page that popped up. Hayley shook her head as doubt ground in her gut. "Too easy. No one is that much of a pillock." Still, she grabbed a hoodie that suited the intermittent Spring drizzles and left the office.

* * *

Hurley's door creaked open at Hayley's sound rap, Fighting the warning voice in her head that urged her to leave immediately, she proceeded inside. The television was on, but unwatched. Hayley carefully made her way to the kitchen. Light spilled from an open refrigerator, illuminating a body that lay on the scarred vinyl flooring. It was Vincent Hurley. Hayley heard steps behind her. She turned to face two N.Y.P.D. officers, their guns drawn and trained on her. "Let me see your hands!" one of them ordered. Hayley sighed in resignation and raised her arms.

* * *

Kate regarded the caller ID on her phone. It was Castle. She gazed at the time display. Normally he would have delivered lunch five minutes before. BG kicked impatiently. Hoping her husband had just been held up in traffic, Kate accepted the call. "Kate, I'm at the Twelfth. Hayley's been arrested for murder. Ryan and Esposito have her in interrogation. No way are they letting me in, but they're allowing me to watch from Observation. I called my lawyer, but he hasn't arrived yet. Hayley is sitting tight and not saying anything till he gets here, but this is not good. They found her standing over the body."

Kate rubbed at the knot tightening in the small of her back. "Alright Castle, I'm not sure what I can do. Jeffords is in charge. But I'll come down if you think it will help."

"I'm not asking my very pregnant wife to come running to the rescue," Castle responded. "I just wanted to let you know what is happening so you and my daughter don't starve waiting for me. The boys did spill that Hurley hadn't been dead long. That's why Hayley standing there is so damning. Perlmutter is on the case not Lanie, and you know he's not exactly my biggest booster, so no help from the morgue. If I find out anything else, I'll let you know. In the meantime, I called Gino's. Your lunch should be arriving soon."

"Castle, you didn't have to do that! I'm more than capable of ordering lunch," Kate protested.

"I know," Castle allowed. "I have no doubt that you can still handle anything. But Kate look, Hayley's a good friend but I just wanted to make it clear that whatever happens, my first priority is with you and BG."

Kate smiled through the phone. "Okay Castle, message received. But keep me up on what's going on."

"Roger that," Castle replied. "I think I hear the approach of my legal eagle's highly polished loafers now."

After a quick handshake with Castle, Milton Archer entered interrogation, introduced himself, and slid in next to Hayley. Adjusting his tie of silk, not lookalike polyester, he gazed around the room. "You haven't painted since the last time I was here for a falsely accused client. You should keep the place up better."

Esposito pointed to a file L.T. had handed him a few minutes before. "Mr. Archer, if your client is falsely accused, she has a lot to explain. She was found standing over a body that was still warm, despite lying in a stream of cold air. Our M.E. says the victim was killed by a blow to the back of the head, probably by an open hand, and consistent with martial arts training. We've seen your client fight. She more than has the skills to deliver that kind of a blow."

"In addition," Ryan added, "the newly deceased Vincent Hurley had been trashing your client all over the internet. That is motive, means, and opportunity."

Esposito stared directly at Hayley. "Maybe you just went to talk to him and things got out of hand?"

"In front of a refrigerator, Esposito?" Hayley questioned. "Yes I went over there to talk to him, but he was already dead. How did the cops show up so conveniently? A blow like that would have been quiet. It wouldn't have disturbed the neighbors, especially not New York neighbors. I'm being set up."

"Why?" Esposito asked. "By who?"

"I think I'd best sort things with Mr. Archer before we talk further," Hayley replied. She glanced at the mirror. "And I'd like Castle to step in too. More or less, this involves company business."

Esposito and Ryan looked at each other. "Fine," Esposito replied.

"But you know confidentiality doesn't extend to Castle. Company business or not. We can put him on the stand to testify to anything you say that's incriminating," Ryan added.

"I will advise my client about that," Archer put in.

Esposito nodded and the two detectives left the room. Ryan told Castle he could join Hayley and Archer. Castle quickly took a place at the table. "Hayley, I think you'd better take Milt and me through this from the beginning. And this time if there is something, don't try to convince me it's nothing."

Hayley sighed and shook her head. "Right Castle. I'm sorry. Jared is my problem and I thought I should deal with him, especially with everything else you and Kate have been organizing."

Castle put a comforting hand on her arm. "Apology accepted, but let's start with Jared who."

Hayley explained about Jared Gable and the lead up to the meeting with Serena Kaye, with Archer ready to stop the narration if Hayley said anything that might be prosecutable.

"I can guess the rest," Castle interjected. "Serena made sure Gable couldn't get his hands on the painting and Gable was not a happy camper."

"He swore he'd get me, Castle. I thought he meant come after me with a knife or a gun, that would be more his MO. But Castle," Hayley confessed, "I never saw anything like this coming. He set a trap and I dived into it."

"The good news here," Archer pointed out, "is that Ms. Shipton hasn't done anything criminal. She may, in fact, have prevented a criminal act. So there is nothing that can't be communicated to the detectives. I gather that under normal circumstances they are friends."

"Yes," Castle confirmed. "And I think under these not so normal circumstances, Hayley needs all the friends she can get."


	47. Chapter 47

Life Goes On

Chapter 47

"So you helped this Jared Gable locate a painting he planned to 'recover' for the Frankfort museum and then when you realized the painting had been stolen by Nazis and taken to return to its rightful owners you went to Serena Kaye to stop him," Ryan recapitulated. "And you think Gable hired Hurley to go after you, then double-crossed Hurley and killed him to frame you."

"That's the story," Hayley confirmed.

"Some story," Esposito commented skeptically.

"Oh come on, Javier, it's a lot less complex than what Jerry Tyson did to frame me. You know Hayley. She helped find Kate. She's helped this department solve murders, At least give her the benefit of the doubt and check it out," Castle argued.

"Alright Castle," Ryan inserted. "We'll pull any surveillance and traffic cam video from around Hurley's apartment, see what we come up with."

"But Hayley stays in holding until she's arraigned," Esposito demanded.

"Likely the safest place for me," Hayley observed dryly. "But there is another person who is involved in all this."

"Serena," Castle guessed.

Hayley nodded. "I knew which building in Borough Park that painting was in, but she knew exactly which apartment. If there's proof Gable was there, she'd know about it."

"She's not about to tell the cops she snatched a painting, even if it was a stolen one," Esposito pointed out.

"She's not about to tell you, but she might tell me," Castle interjected. "I'll talk to her."

* * *

That evening, Kate was the one who had dinner in the oven when Castle let himself into the loft. "How's Hayley doing?" she asked.

"About as well can be expected in a holding cell," Castle replied, dropping his coat on a chair. "I don't remember it as fun. But Ryan and Espo are doing as much as they can. And I went to see Serena."

"Oh?" Kate inquired sharply, the green cast of her hazel eyes suddenly exaggerated.

Castle laughed. "I'm going to put that response down to hunger and hormones. We should get some of whatever you're cooking into your tummy."

"Fine," Kate replied grumpily. "You can tell me what Serena said while you set the table."

"Yes, Dear. Serena decided to have some fun with Gable," Castle related as he distributed plates and flatware. "She had her client move the painting to some safe storage for a while, but she also rigged his apartment, which was 6C by the way. She put in infrared sensors to trigger an alarm when he broke in, but she also used a hidden fiber optic camera just to see the look on his face." Castle pulled his phone out of his pocket and displayed an image.

Kate started to giggle. "What a look! I have to give it to Serena for that one. The expression on his face is priceless. Was there video?"

"Uh huh," Castle replied still grinning. "I sent it to Ryan and Espo. If nothing else. it proves Gable is guilty of a B & E. So if they can find him, they'll have something to hold him on while we prove Hayley's innocence. And the boys will be doing the usual canvassing and scrubbing of video. Something will turn up - I hope."

"Well if it doesn't," Kate declared, bending over to pull chili mac out of the oven," we'll just have to get creative."

Castle put a hand under her elbow to help her straighten up. "That's certainly something we've never had trouble with before. So how was your day? How goes the great battle of the bureaucrats?"

"Another victory for our side," Kate reported smugly, putting the mac pan on a trivet on the table and easing herself into her chair. "We got another boost from Paul Whittaker. He's such a golden boy after breaking the corruption scandal, that when he wrote about the Comptrollers Office potentially blocking decent child care, they claimed their objections were misunderstood and backed off. We're going to have at least six buildings allotted for pilot programs, with more to follow."

"That's wonderful! As an appreciative private citizen, I'm should send the Whittakers a case of something," Castle proposed.

"You might make is a case of diapers, Castle," Kate suggested. "Ann is pregnant too, almost four months."

"Ah, so BG will have a playmate from the other writer and his muse. And she'll be older, so she'll get to do the bossing around, just like her mother," Castle teased.

Kate let her sauce coated lower lip tremble. "Castle, I thought you liked that about me. And here I thought after BG was born I could wear those special boots you bought me, again."

"Oh Sweetheart, the boots, the hat, the riding crop, anything you want," Castle offered hurriedly.

Kate burst out laughing. "Oh Castle, you're still such an easy mark."

Castle caressed her cheekbone with his thumb. "Only for you. But seriously, do you really think we can keep Hayley from being one?"

"Castle, if there's one thing I've learned over the past nine years it's that somehow, between the two of us, we always find a way out of any mess. And from the way Serena put one over on Gable, he may be mean, but he just isn't that bright. It's not like what Jerry Tyson tried to do to us. We survived that, but he didn't. And by the way, isn't the Archer guy you got for Hayley the same lawyer who helped you escape when Tyson framed you?"

"Kate, I told you the less you knew about that the better," Castle reminded her.

"Yeah, but Castle, that was before we were married. I could have been forced to testify against you then. Now I can't be. So spill. Was he the guy and how did you pull that off?"

"He was the guy," Castle admitted. "He doesn't work formally for any of the families, but he has contacts like I do, only more so. He went to school with a couple of their consiglieres. He said those guys keep uniforms and stuff around for kicks and we don't want to know for what else. Anyway, they used one of their plants down at Central Booking to know when the real cops were coming to transfer me and get a copy of the paperwork. Then they just sent their boys ahead of them. They had the clothes and stuff for me in a dummied up police unit - with a little help from Mother and Alexis."

"I never knew those two helped get you out, Castle!"

"Yeah well, you weren't supposed to know. They were committing a felony because Kate, you weren't the only one who believed me. My family knew I'd never murder some poor girl. Mother even gave the mob guys a few acting pointers. I don't know if they appreciated that. But anyway, they came to get me out of holding and I gave you that clue to where I was going. Then I changed in the car and they dropped me at the library. The rest you know. So Archer did stick his neck out a bit, but he only made the phone calls. You and my family stuck yours out a lot more, for which I will be eternally grateful."

Kate squeezed his hand. "Castle, I think we're at least even on that score. But if Ryan and Esposito hit dead ends, Archer must know someone who'll have a line on Gable, right?"

"Kate, if he doesn't, we will find someone who does."


	48. Chapter 48

Life Goes On

Chapter 48

Hayley sat at the defendant's table next to a natty Milton Archer. She had also been specially decked out for the occasion with clothes chosen by Martha Rodgers to project innocence and credibility. Castle sat in the front row of the visitor's gallery, anxious to observe the proceedings. The bailiff called for all to rise as the judge entered.

Judge Mildred Crosby was having a bad morning. She'd found out that her teenage daughter had taken up with a biker. Her college junior son had announced that he wanted to change his major from pre-law to theater arts, her hair had refused to cooperate, she'd snagged her favorite sweater on a ragged fingernail, and a tooth she'd cracked the night before on a frozen M & M was sending needles of pain into her gum. She just wanted to clear her docket and make it to her dentist. After Hayley's case was announced Mildred impatiently inquired how the defendant intended to plead. Since the annoyingly well dressed defendant was represented by the sartorially perfect Milton Archer, a plea of not guilty seemed predictable and was subsequently received. Mildred immediately declared that given the seriousness of the crime of which Ms. Shipton was accused, and since she was a foreign national, bail would be set at a million dollars.

Archer bristled. "Your honor, Ms. Shipton is employed in this city. Furthermore she has aided the N.Y.P.D. on more than one occasion. I would request that she be released on her own recognizance."

A.D. A. Toni Gonzales jumped to her feet. "Your honor, the defendant was found standing over the body of the victim, with whom she had an unpleasant history. Given the international nature of Ms. Shipton's dealings, I would insist that her flight risk is extreme. I request no bail be allowed."

"Bail is set at a million dollars," Mildred repeated testily. "That's my ruling." The angry crack of the gavel rang through the room. "Next case."

Hayley looked back at Castle who mouthed "Don't worry about it," as she was led from the courtroom.

* * *

Archer enlisted the aid of his favorite bondwoman, who required that Castle put up a hundred thousand dollars while she provided the rest. She would have requested Hayley's passport as well, but Hayley had already been required to surrender it to the court.

When Hayley was freed, she, Archer, and Castle met at Archer's sleekly furnished office. "Castle," Hayley reiterated. "I didn't kill Hurley. There is no reason you should have put up so much money, but I promise you'll get it back."

"There's every reason, Hayley," Castle insisted. "You're family. And I have no doubt I'll get it back. If you did take off, I'd have Alexis run the skip trace and you'd be doomed."

Hayley laughed, but a more business minded Archer cleared his throat, cutting the merriment short. "I've requested discovery on anything the police discover on Gable," Archer explained when Halyley had quieted, "but I assume that Ryan and Esposito would be relaying that information to the two of you in any case."

"Well Ryan would," Castle agreed. "I'm not so sure about Esposito. His nose has been out of joint ever since he tried to hit on Hayley and didn't make it very far. And he's not big on imagination. If he finds someone standing over a body - they did it. Ryan is more Castillian in his thought patterns. Either way we'll get the information. Ryan's already let me know that they did spot Gable on a traffic cam heading away from Borough Park in the right time frame. The plate was stolen. That's something, and it will add another charge if the cops manage to pick him up, but it's not nearly enough to establish him as a viable suspect in Hurley's murder."

Archer nodded. "That's true. I can certainly use it to build a narrative, but we'll need more to establish reasonable doubt. We'll need to dig up anything we can find that supports a relationship between Hurley and Gable. I'll get a court order to go through everything in Hurley's apartment and wherever else he may have anything stashed. We need to concentrate on tracking down Gable as well. You'll have to use all the resources you have and I'll use mine to check out possible places he'll go to ground. We just have to hope he doesn't make it out of the country. A B&E and a car theft won't be enough to involve either the TSA or the border patrol to hold him. And even if they were involved, he could use a boat or a private plane."

"What happens if he does skip?" Hayley questioned anxiously.

"We still get everything we can to present him as a cause for reasonable doubt," Archer offered. "But Ms. Gonzales will do her best to present that theory as a figment of my imagination. The best case scenario would definitely be to catch him and get a confession. Then I could make a motion that the charges against Ms. Shipton be dismissed and even Gonzales would have to go along with it. But barring that, we'll build the best case we can.

"I would urge that Ms. Shipton keep a low profile. She has been very publicly associated with your wife, Castle, and with the hero of the people that Kate Beckett is right now, creating a scandal would be effective click bait and sell newspapers. There are always people who delight in seeing heroes fall. They will deliberately smear Hayley, and Kate by association, just to put a story out, and if this does come to trial, that could seriously prejudice a jury. So let's pursue our investigations as quietly as possible."

"Quiet as a mouse," Castle promised. "If we're done here, we should get to work."

* * *

When Kate came home to the loft, Castle was busy standing over a bunch of bankers boxes going through documents. "What are those, Babe?"

"Hurley was a pack rat. I think he kept every piece of paper he ever had. These are from a storage locker he rented. The security video had him accessing it the day before his murder, so I'm hoping to find something to tie him to Gable. These are only some of the boxes. Some of the rest are at RCI. Hayley and Alexis are going through them. Archer has his paralegals going through the remainder. There doesn't seem to be any order to them." Castle slammed a stack of paper on his desk. "It's like Hurley just dumped everything in boxes and stored it away. So we have to look at every damn page."

"Can I help?" Beckett offered.

"Sure, as long as you don't tire yourself out too much," Castle acceded. "I have moo shu pork, spare ribs, and chicken with snow peas coming. It will be like old crime busting times - without the boys. But that was when we had the most fun anyway, going through stuff together, just the two of us."

Kate leaned against his back, her cheek nuzzling his shoulder blade through the soft cotton of his shirt. "I remember. As satisfying as it can be to straighten out some of the problems in this city, sometimes I really miss that."

"And satisfying as it can be to actually meet my deadlines instead of going out to see some dead body in the middle of the night, I miss it too," Castle agreed. "But we can work together now." BG chose that moment to demonstrate her presence with both feet. Castle turned to face Kate, cupping her belly in his wide palms. "And soon we'll be embarking on a whole new stage of collaboration." He leaned in for a kiss, only to be interrupted by the buzzing of the doorbell. Castle sighed, recalling the raft of previous intrusions of buzzes and dings derailing their intimate moments. "At least this wasn't a call from Ryan." he allowed, and went to accept the delivery of their dinner.


	49. Chapter 49

Life Goes On

Chapter 49

Castle swiped a hand across his eyes. Long after insisting that a fast fading Kate turn in, Castle continued to sift through Hurley's papers, scanning for any mention of Gable or anything related to him. Despite his best efforts, the letters continued to blur before his eyes. He wished he could increase the fonts like he could on his computer when his eyes were tired. He was about to give up when "Jared" jumped out at him. Did Hurley view Gable as close enough to refer to him by his first name? Castle splashed some water on his face, poured his fifth cup of coffee and tried again. The page was notes for some kind of blind article detailing the intrepid exploits of Jared, a recovery expert of artwork shamelessly stolen from museums, and an unscrupulous detective who conspired with a thief to get in his way. Castle shook his head grimly. "Gable fed Hurley a pile of bull and he fell for it," he muttered. He consulted his watch. It was too late to call anyone. Even if Hayley was still up, she probably wasn't in much better shape than he was. He should stop, curl up with Kate for a couple of hours, and contact everyone later in the morning.

Later seemed to come in about five minutes. The bed beside Castle was empty. Kate was predictably in the bathroom when he forced his eyes open and put an arm out to the nightstand for his cell phone. Muzzily he typed in a text to Archer and Hayley, tersely outlining what he'd found and suggesting a meeting ASAP. Kate came in as he was finishing up. "When did you finally come to bed, Babe? Did you find anything?"

"About four, I think, and yes," Castle replied. "At least now I know what we need to look for. When Archer and Hayley read my text, they'll know too. Hurley was working on stories about Gable. He'd been bamboozled into thinking Gable was his muse, some kind of roguish hero."

"Maybe Gable thinks of himself that way," Kate speculated. "If he does, he's more likely to make mistakes while he's living his fantasy. He's already made two, trying to get the better of Serena and trying to use Hayley to do it."

"That's not counting the big one, trying to use Hurley's murder to get revenge on Hayley. But he picked the wrong target and that's going to be his downfall," Castle asserted.

"Just don't let him be yours, Castle," Kate advised. "Being fried means making mistakes too and you know that's experience talking. Try to get some more rest, at least until you get answers to your text. I know you love putting things in my mouth, but I can feed myself before I go to work. I'm pregnant, not helpless."

"One way I would never describe you as is helpless," Castle agreed. "Go obtain the sustenance you need to to bring the sword of justice down once more on those who would menace the good citizens of Gotham. Just call me later."

Kate rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. "Alright Castle, I will."

Kate rummaged in the refrigerator. There was no doubt that Castle had spoiled her. It had been months since she'd thought about making her own breakfast. Even in slumber, Castle's presence was clear in the abundance of fresh fruit, especially the early season strawberries, but her eyes lit on the leftover moo shu pork. There were even a couple of the thin pancakes that comprised the rest of the dish. "Okay Castle," she proclaimed to the empty air, "even if you're sound asleep, I'm still having pancakes for breakfast." Leftover spare ribs made a nice accompaniment.

* * *

Castle's phone dinged at nine thirty, a text instructing him that there would be a meeting at Archer's office in an hour. He just made it by taking a two minute shower and leaving his stubble intact. Archer, as always, could have graced the cover of GQ, but Hayley wore the clothes she'd worn the day before, having sacked out briefly in the RCI office after a night with Hurley's paper mountain. Her eyes, however, were wide awake with excitement at Castle's lead. "So Hurley was a berk who bought Gable's tosh. Poor bugger."

"Castle," Archer summarized, "the plan is to go through the papers again looking for anything that references a "Jared" and put together some sort of idea of what Hurley was building from the stories he got from Gable."

"More than that," Castle suggested. "When people tell stories, they pour themselves into them at some level. They give clues to how they think, the sorts of places they go, what their plans are, or what they wish they were. If we find everything Hurley put together from what he got from Gable, some sort of picture should emerge."

"Well then here's an idea," Hayley proposed. "We get our hands on a high speed scanner, generate a file, and run a search for any "Jareds" that pop up.

"I was about to suggest that," Archer put in. "I have one. We use it in cases like this when discovery buries us in documents. I'll have a couple of interns start feeding. They can begin with the boxes we have here at the office and you two can bring over the ones you've been working with. We'll still need eyes to make sense of it all once we find the right pages, but we should be well on our way by the end of the day."

"Brilliant!" Hayley exclaimed. "Come on Castle, we can use my van. I'll call a couple of my boys to do the heavy lifting."

Castle flexed his arm. "No faith in my fabulous biceps? I'm wounded."

"And Kate will wound me if you hurt yourself, daddy to be," Hayley returned. "You'll be using those muscles to ferry the baby around soon enough. So off with you and I'll meet you at your loft."

Once all the Hurley documents had been delivered into the waiting hands of Archer's interns, Castle found himself with an unexpectedly free afternoon. He considered a nap, but was too restless. A character had just been handed to him on a platter. He couldn't picture his new creation fitting into the Nikki Heat he had underway, or even the next one. Castle visualized a book following a journalist who traveled the world documenting stories of heroes, real ones, not phonies like Jared Gable. Then he suddenly realized it could very well be a future for the traumatized boy whose story he had been crafting for his literary effort. Settling himself at his desk in the loft, Castle put up his feet and balanced his laptop across his thighs. The words flowed.

"Colin had always sought heroes. His whole life he'd admired those who could rise above the terrors of the world to make things a little better, even if in a tiny corner and for a short time. Colin loved writing about heroes, but somehow he always found his fabrications empty and wanting. As he approached adulthood, he finally realized why. His heroes always won the day. Their swords were faster, their punches harder, and their thoughts quicker. They were barren, with no depth or substance. Real heroes had battles to fight not just with villains who rained chaos on the outside world, but with the demons that ravaged from within. It was the defeat of those demons that truly allowed a hero to triumph. On the day of that revelation, Colin became a real writer."


	50. Chapter 50

Life Goes On

Chapter 50

At Archer's office, speed reader Castle put down the last of Hurley's "Jared" pages. "Not too encouraging," he remarked. "If Hurley got this from Gable and there was an ounce of reality in it anywhere, Gable is comfortable pretty much anywhere in the world. He'll have refuges set up and money and weapons stashed."

"Oh that part is true," Hayley put in grimly. "In our dealings through the years, he's always had his set ups. Not just bolt holes and cash, but dolly birds as well. He makes himself very comfortable wherever he goes. Was there any hint of where he was planning to go after New York?"

"Unfortunately there were several possibilities," Castle reported. "There were outlines for adventures in Paris, Germany, and Bahrain. The first two are museums, the last one is the private treasure house of a collector. If any of those have a basis in fact, we could be screwed. There was a description of 'Jared's' lair near New York, though. Do you think there's a possibility he might still be using the place?"

"It's slim," Hayley judged. "I don't suppose Hurley had an address in there."

"We couldn't be that lucky," Castle declared. "But there are some details in here we might be able to figure out - if Hurley or Gable didn't just make them up. We have a building on the water to start with."

"That's likely," Hayley offered. "He has always liked rivers and oceans. They make convenient dumping grounds."

"And he has it as handy to transportation, especially into New York," Castle snapped his fingers. "Hoboken! You've got buses, the ferry and the PATH train straight into Penn Station. But it's a different jurisdiction. If he was on the run, it would take time to ramp up a search. The story has it as an old building, one of a few left standing after a hurricane. Parts of Hoboken were devastated after Sandy. We look for livable buildings spared by the storm."

"Satellite maps," Hayley suggested.

"Right," Castle agreed. "You take Google and I'll take Apple."

* * *

There was scant room for all of the group of angry parents around Kate's conference table. Billie Mackenzie was barely keeping it together. "The city allocated a million bucks for more crossing guards. Where were they when my little girl was killed?" she asked with a voice roughened by hours of tears. "She was in a cross walk, a damn cross walk in front of her damn school! If this city doesn't have the sense to give pedestrians the right of way, even in a place like that, there should have been someone to protect her." Billie gazed at the expanse of Kate's belly. "What if it were your child? How would you feel?"

"Ms. Mackenzie, I can't even imagine," Kate confessed. "I have checked over the budget and the money is there. Why it hasn't been spent, I don't know. Actual dispersal of funds is under the Comptrollers Office. But they have been made to listen to reason before. Certainly a tragedy like this should get their attention. I promise I will investigate personally."

"When can we expect to hear something?" Carlos Hernandez demanded from the end of the table. "My wife and I have been able to adjust our working hours so I can walk my kids to school in the morning and she can get them home in the afternoon, but either of our shifts could change at any time. We need a solution now, Advocate Beckett."

"I'll make inquiries today," Kate promised. "Make sure you leave all your contact information with my staff. I'll try to get back to each of you by tomorrow or at the latest, the day after."

"We will be waiting," Carlos assured her. "And if you don't get back to us, we will certainly get back to you."

"Mr. Hernandez," Kate declared. "I hear you."

* * *

Jeff Barrington, landlord of the Bridgestone apartments in Hoboken, ushered Castle and Hayley into a flat. "The guy you showed me the picture of, he told me his name was Timothy Kirk. He didn't have a lease, he just paid month to month. He would come and go. Usually I'd just get a money order in the mail, but he's a month behind. I thought he skipped out. The place comes furnished, so he could have just taken off. Feel free to look around. If you find something to track him down, maybe I can get my money. Things are pretty bad around here you know. Fuckin' bureaucrats diverted funds that were supposed to be used for reconstruction."

"Yes I heard," Castle replied. "There's been a lot of that going around. We'll do our best."

"If you have other matters to organize, we can call you when we're finished," Hayley added.

"Fine," Barrington, agreed. "I'll be in the rental office."

As soon as Barrington left, Castle scanned the room. "Not much here."

"Check everything, Castle," Hayley instructed, "especially behind and under the drawers. Papers get pushed back and lost. You'd be astonished at what I've found over the years. People don't take what they can't see."

"Hmm, that's a good detail for a story," Castle mused. "Will do."

The wooden furniture was old and warped from exposure to moist air. The drawers stuck as Castle pulled, until one came all the way out, landing on Castle's foot and leaving a mark of brown stain on his Mizuno. "Damn I just got...! Ooh what's that?" Castle picked up a piece of paper that had fluttered down when the drawer fell.

Hayley took it from him. "Bollocks! Castle, it's a list of possible jobs, and they're all over the bloody world, not just Paris, Germany, and Bahrain. The wanker could be anywhere and I'm in the shite!"

Castle put a hand on her shoulder. "Hayley, this isn't the end of it. You still have you MI-5 contacts don't you? Someone might know where he is or how to find him. I have contacts and so does Kate. We can pursue them all. This is no time to give up. You do that and Gable's already won."

Hayley forced a smile. "You're right Castle. I'm not giving that tosser anything. We haven't even finished with this flat yet. There may be something else here. Let's keep looking."

* * *

Kate shook her head as she finished her conversation with a third deputy comptroller. The money for the guards was available. They just hadn't been hired. The wages weren't great, especially for New York City, but benefits were available with just a twenty hour work week, a very good deal in the current job market. Recruiting had been put in the hands of several local precincts where the accident rate was the highest. She considered phoning each captain, but wanted someone who could immediately exert some direct clout. In a distinctly police matter, that would not be the Public Advocate. She brought up the contact number for Chief Victoria Gates and pressed call.

As they met over salads at a local lunch spot, Gate's eyes widened at Kate's circumference. "It won't be long now, will it Kate?"

"Supposedly a few more weeks to go, but I don't know if I can stretch much further," Kate admitted.

"I know the feeling," Gates commiserated. "Before my oldest was born I was sure I was going to burst at the seams. I had expected you might call about the mess Castle's associate seems to have gotten herself into. I wasn't expecting to hear about crossing guards."

"I wouldn't expect you to intervene for Hayley. I know how you feel about 1PP brass meddling in investigations, much as she could use the help. But I think the guards are right in your purview. The matter involves the safety of all the kids in the city and as far as I can determine, several precincts just haven't been doing their jobs filling the positions. A group of parents is demanding action and I can't say that I blame them. A little girl just died."

"Yes, Brittany Mackenzie, I know," Gates acknowledged. "I've already reached out to the captains in the designated precincts. As you might imagine, crossing guards are not on the top of their lists. But I will be launching a complete investigation and I will keep you apprised."

Kate exhaled a deep breath through pursed lips. "I don't think that will comfort the parents much. But it's better than nothing."

"Just keep talking to them, Kate." Gates counseled. "You know from dealing with families in murder investigations, as long as they know you're not trying to blow them off, they'll hang in there."

"You're right," Kate agreed. "I'll make sure I keep them in the loop, but Victoria, move as fast as you can on this." Kate unconsciously ran a hand over her belly. "I can't accept the idea of kids dead in the street for just trying to walk to school."

Gates put a hand on Kate's arm. "Kate, I can't either."

* * *

Kate and Castle fell into each other's arms as they arrived at the loft almost simultaneously. "Give me some good news, Castle," Kate begged.

He held her as close as he could. "I wish to God I had some."


	51. Chapter 51

Life Goes On

Chapter 51

"I might be able to give you some," a familiar voice came from Castle's office.

Castle turned as his father approached. "What?"

"Kate wanted good news son," Jackson Hunt explained. "I might be able to give you some. Not about the city stuff. I'm afraid that's Kate's windmill to tilt at. But the feisty British friend I asked to keep an eye on you seems to have stepped in it but good. It's essentially my fault that she's here in the first place, so I thought I might be able to help her out. Unfortunately I was out of the country when you and Kate were going through your recent troubles. Kate, you should have left LokSat alone, but I was afraid you wouldn't, despite Junior's extraordinary measures. Sorry I wasn't here to intervene then, but I'll see what I can do now."

"You know where Jared Gable is?" Castle questioned.

"I have an idea," Hunt replied. "My people keep track of unauthorized flights in and out of the country, especially from supposedly non-existent airstrips. There was one such flight not long after Vincent Hurley's demise. It took off out of New Jersey, not far that lair of Gable's you and Hayley were searching today."

Castle's mouth opened involuntarily. "How did you? Never mind. I know. The coolest toys. So where did the flight go?"

"It went to one of the little private islands in the Caribbean. There was a ship docked there. That ship is now in international waters and appears to be pursuing a course toward Europe. It's being followed on satellite. We keep track of ships that sail off the books too."

"So Gable is probably at sea," Castle reiterated. "How in hell can we reach him there?"

Hunt smiled with the mischievous gleam Kate had so often seen in Castle's eyes. "You know son, piracy on the seas has been rising. And the area where that ship is, it's infested with pirates. Probably make great fodder for one of your Derrick Storm fantasies, if you cared to do a little investigation with me. Wouldn't take more than a day, maybe two at most."

"Wait a minute!" Kate protested. "Pirates? Don't you think your son has enough bullet scars? Excuse me, but he couldn't just stitch himself up and go execute some spy after we were shot. He almost died. And we have a baby coming."

"I've noticed," Hunt commented dryly.

"I don't want to bring her up without a father!" Kate continued angrily. "You and your spy buddies want to dress up as pirates and go after the bad guy, go ahead, but leave Castle out of it."

"She still is a fireball, isn't she?" Hunt remarked to Castle.

"You have no idea," Castle declared, "but Kate is right. Our daughter could be arriving any time and I owe it to her and to Kate to try to stick around. Much as I'd love to have a first hand experience with 'pirates,' and I want to help Hayley, I can't go. Kate and the baby come first."

"Fine," Hunt agreed testily. "I'll ask Hayley. Should have done that in the first place. At least she's qualified - and she has the most skin in the game."

"She will probably go along with it," Castle conceded, "but she would be skipping out on her bail, so if she doesn't come back, preferably in one piece, you owe me a hundred thousand dollars and there's a bonds woman who will probably hunt you to the ends of the earth for another 900K."

Hunt chuckled. "Well I'd wish her good luck on that one, but I'll get Hayley back here, son - with Gable."

"Dad," Castle cautioned, "remember we need a confession, so it would help if you bring Gable back alive."

"Son, you will get your confession," Hunt promised, "one way or another, you will get your confession. Now it looks like I have another visit to make, so I'll be on my way." Without further comment, Hunt left the loft, pulling the door shut behind him.

"Castle," Kate wondered, "if I hadn't objected, would you have gone?"

Castle took her hand and pressed it between both of his own. "Kate, if you were on that ship, and I had to pretend to be a pirate or anything else to rescue you, I would have agreed in an instant. But I told you, you and the baby come first. Hayley far surpasses my spy skills in any case and who has more motivation to bring Gable back? Hayley can go with my father to get the deed done. However, it wouldn't surprise me if Gable's missing a few fingernails or has some strange marks in generally inaccessible places when the two of them haul him in."

Kate smiled wryly. "It would surprise me if that wasn't the case. Kate ran a finger of her free hand a few inches below Castle's belt. Speaking of generally inaccessible places."

Castle's eyebrows rose. "Really? I mean I'm game if you are but I thought by now, I mean Meredith didn't when and …. I'm getting myself into trouble here, aren't I?"

Kate grinned. "Relax Castle. I just thought, um after the day we've both had that it would be nice to cuddle little, see what happens. I know how creative you can be, best selling author."

"Creative," Castle repeated, "yes, I can do that. Just a minute."

Castle ran to the refrigerator. "Babe, what are you doing?" Kate puzzled.

Castle came back with a bowl of strawberries and a can of whipped cream. "Just thought a little snacking might go with the cuddling." He led her into the bedroom. "Let's see what I can whip up." Castle put the food on the bedside table while he helped Kate rid herself of her maternity top and overfull bra. "Be my table,"he advised, urging her to lie on her back.

"There's never been a table this shape, Castle," Kate protested.

"Creative, remember?" Castle returned. "I can work with it." Castle sprayed a trail of cream from between her breasts to the base of the BG mountain, studded it with strawberries, and began licking his way down, feeding her the strawberries as he went. "Sweet," he murmured.

Kate became more and more restive as his tongue progressed lower and lower, squirming against the satiny duvet cover. "Castle."

"Did you want a different snack?" he inquired huskily.

Kate ran her tongue over her lips and pulled at the fastening of his pants. "I want to lick too." She pushed the pants away and pulled him free. "Give me the whipped cream, Castle."

He handed her the can. and pulling herself up against the headboard, she decorated his growing arousal. Castle gasped as her mouth sought the creamy sweetness. He reached down, easing her cleverly pleated pants out of the way. He found the silk beneath them damp, and thrust hand under it. Her lips tightened around him. His breath came in pants as his fingers caressed the hardening nub of Beckett heat that grew beneath their touch.

Kate could taste the first hot Castle drop that melted the cream surrounding it. She pulled back, her hands urged Castle to explosive finality even as he returned her attentions. His release was first, but even as it ripped through his body he continued to coax Kate toward her own climax. It finally overcame her in a shuddering exhalation of joyous relief.

Kate lay on the bed beside Castle, her sticky hand clasped in his. "You've always made great snacks Castle, but I think you've outdone yourself this time. Just don't serve it at our next dinner party."

"Count on it," Castle assured her. "Some things are best when just eaten by two."


	52. Chapter 52

Life Goes On

Chapter 52

Kate had rarely been so glad to see a Saturday. As a homicide cop it hadn't mattered much. If there was a murder to solve, she solved it, regardless of what day it was. Her hours as captain had been a bit more regular, but still subject to emergency calls. Thankfully, city administrative offices mostly closed down on weekends. Castle could write any time of the week, day or night, but when Kate was home, he tried to spend as much time with her as possible, especially now that BG was due so soon. He was on alert for any news of Hayley's foray with Hunt, but it had been less than twenty-four hours and Hunt had never been big on staying in touch. Kate was looking forward to a few hours of peace, or at least as peaceful as she could be, binging on a week's worth of Temptation Lane. She had taken a leisurely shower while Castle rattled around in the kitchen, and pulled on the most casual of her maternity outfits just as Castle called breakfast.

Kate couldn't help grinning at the sight of more fresh strawberries, even if the whipped cream was absent. Castle had made his special pancakes, light, fluffy, and smiling. He put a well filled plate for her and a scanter one for himself, on the table, and pulled out her chair. She lowered herself into her seat as he lightly held her hand. "Castle, I'm still perfectly capable of sitting in a chair," she protested half-heartledly."

Mock hurt shaped his mobile face. "And rob me of a chance to hold my wife's hand? Be kind to your poor husband, Kate."

"I thought I did a pretty good job of that last night," she teased. Castle slid into his own chair and began to cut his pancake into uncharacteristically small pieces. "Not hungry, Babe?"

"I'm fine," Castle insisted, popping a pancake shard into his moth and chewing slowly.

"Worried about Hayley?" Kate prompted. "Having second thoughts about not going with your father?"

Castle shook his head and made the effort to swallow. "Gazing at the incredible you, I have no second thoughts at all concerning staying by your side, but I am worried about Hayley. You know my father. He regards a hail of bullets as an April shower. And Hayley's not exactly Ms. Cautious either. There's no knowing what kind of protection Gable has, or who's with him. It could be a real clusterfuck Kate, and there's nothing we can do about it. Somehow my father always seems to find a way out of perilous situations. But as you know, people who work with him aren't always so lucky. It's not particularly comforting to know that my father's essentially an assassin. Sometimes I wonder what he's passed on to me, or what I might be passing on."

"Castle there is no doubt your father is ruthless, but he is also a great person to have on your side," Kate pointed out. "He saved your ass in Paris. He saved Alexis, and now he's trying to save Hayley. He may have been a lousy father, but in his own way, he cares. And his son is the most caring person I've ever known. What he passed on, Castle, is the willingness to do anything for your own. You've done it for me before and you've done it for Alexis. And in your own way you're doing it again now, staying away from the action to be with me. Whatever he passed on to you was the best of him, Castle. And if that gets passed onto BG, she will be the better for it."

Castle leaned across the table for a kiss. "Thank you." He speared a bigger piece of pancake. "I thought I'd try to get some writing done while you immerse yourself in television suds. But after that, what did you have in mind for the day?"

Kate answered with unaccustomed hesitation. "Castle with all the things going on right now, I thought maybe we could try for a little bit of normal, at least normal for expectant parents. I know Lanie is planning a baby shower for me and we'll be getting all kinds of cute stuff, but I thought it might be nice to pick out some clothes for BG on our own. How about a trip to Baby Barn or Baby Boutique?"

Castle cradled her cheek in his palm, unexpected moisture gathering in his eyes. "I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon. Well, I can, but it tends to lead to spending one that way. So yes. You take your trek down Temptation Lane, I'll see what scintillating prose I can commit to the keyboard and then we can go outfit BG. We could get some lunch along the way. A new place just opened up next to Baby Barn. It's called Food for the Souls. Obviously aimed at pregnant persons."

Kate grimaced. "Ooh, sounds overbearingly healthy. We can look at the menu. If it's too obnoxious, there's a Dumbfounding Dogs only a block away. I can get my quota of sin for the day, or at least some decently hot mustard."

"Sounds like a plan," Castle agreed.

* * *

Kate was pleasantly surprised to find that Food for Souls served cravings as much as nutritional requirements. The menu was a variety of sweet, spicy, and hot, in addition to the expected healthy salads and lean meat dishes. Both Castles settled on a fragrant coconut chicken and vegetable curry accompanied by cooling juice concoctions. Kate gazed at the other patrons. Everything from bumps to breathtaking bulges was evident everywhere and the air of expectation was almost palpable. She felt a peculiar sense of sisterhood, different from anything she'd experienced before. "Probably pheromones," she thought to herself," but it was energizing nonetheless. By the time she and Castle finished eating, she was more than ready to feather her nest.

With the approach of Easter, Baby Barn sported prominent displays of ruffled pastel dresses. Kate wrinkled her nose. "Not your choice of style?" Castle inquired.

"Well Castle, you know I've always been more into leather than than frills," Kate responded.

"To my never ending delight," Castle grinned. "But I don't think they make baby leathers, at least not in newborn sizes. We could probably special order some. If you want to be practical but still inject the special Beckett style, we should look at onesies and t-shirts. As we get into summer, she probably won't be wearing anything but a shirt and a diaper anyway. There should be some selections that proclaim kick ass babe. Castle steered her to a rack of impossibly tiny shirts bearing an assortment of characters and slogans. He pulled one loose. "Touch my bankie and you're toast," he read. "Suitably assertive?"

"Maybe," Kate replied, "but I want to look at them all to see what jumps out at me."

"Of course," Castle agreed. "I'm going to go look at the play equipment displays. She won't need that kind of thing yet, but I might get some ideas for a set up at the Hamptons place. I want to look at high chairs too. It won't be long until we need one of those and there are some really cool new ones. I think there's one that looks like a Tardis. Just let me know when you're done.

Castle wandered off to explore and Kate turned back to the rack, thoughtfully assessing tiny garment after tiny garment. She liked the ones bearing images of Wonder Woman and Mulan and one with throwback comic book sound effects of bam, bop, and pow. But what really really caught her attention was the Harley Davidson merchandise. Her own cycle languished in the garage beneath the loft. After Castle had it refurbished, she'd never had a chance to use it. Castle's bike hadn't been out for more than a preliminary spin either. Caleb Brown's bullets, her job, and her pregnancy, had put their cross country trip on indefinite hold. But a Harley shirt on BG would be a visual promise that whatever happened, life with Castle would always be an adventure.


	53. Chapter 53

Life Goes On

Chapter 53

The only place Hayley had seen a boat like the one she and Jackson Hunt occupied was in a Bond Film. The shape was sleek, cutting through the water with almost no resistance. The motor was insanely powerful, as if souped up by "Q". It also bore some interesting accouterments, like the shackles attached to a metal brace by chains. Hunt studied a screen showing a satellite view of a ship. "Gable's there alright," he confirmed. "Bastard's right up on deck enjoying the sun. He's not the only one. Looks like these guys are operating a deluxe version of 'Escapes are Us.' There's a pretty full crew. I can see four on deck and there are probably more below. They're armed too, looks like Kalashnikovs."

"Bollocks!" Hayley exclaimed. "Out-manned and outgunned. How in the bloody hell are we going to get Gable?"

"Relax," Hunt counseled. "We're not going to try to out shoot them and snatch Gable. We're going to rescue him - from a sinking ship. It happens in this neck of the woods. Pirates scuttle a ship, especially one with a valuable cargo. Then their divers retrieve what they want as salvage. We'll just be making a different kind of retrieval. For a moment Gable might actually be glad to see us."

"And how do we organize that?" Hayley questioned.

Hunt pointed to the equipment locker. "How are your scuba skills?"

"Barely adequate," Hayley confessed. "Where I grew up we didn't have much interest in swimming."

Hunt grunted. "This is where Junior would have been useful. From what I've observed over the years the kid's pretty good. Learned when he took that bitch second wife of his to the Galapagos. I guess it was at least quiet underwater. Alright, when it's dark, I'll plant the charges myself. You can stay in the boat and monitor Gable's ship by infra-red. You'll see the explosions. You can pick me up and we'll pick Gable up. In the dark he won't realize who you are until it's too late, and by that time we'll have him secured. I'm sure he'll be talkative. There's nothing like being stuck in the middle of unfriendly waters to stimulate conversation."

* * *

Castle lugged the bags of baby things into the loft. The last thing he'd expected was that Kate would go overboard, but once she started building BG's layette there was no stopping her. There were t-shirts in three sizes, baby coveralls, a baseball uniform with matching hat and mitt, a collection of onesies, sleepers, jackets, baby sneakers, and a tiny karate gi as an homage to BG's substantive kicks. For his own part, Castle had not been reticent about the use of his credit card. He found a stroller reminiscent of an X-wing fighter and a high chair modeled on the Iron Throne. Kate particularly approved of the chair, commenting that she'd always like Cersei and that it was better to have a female in the seat of power.

"I have no doubt that BG will be occupying the seat of power," Castle had quipped. "After a few nights of her waking us every couple of hours, you'll realize just how much control she has. Fortunately babies usually grow out of that slightly before parents die of exhaustion." With no room for the large boxes in the trunk of the car. Castle had arranged for the stroller and chair to be delivered. Together the Castles stowed their purchases in the modular storage that had been designed for the nursery. Castle's brow furrowed. "You know we still haven't bought a changing table. Massive oversight on my part."

"No it isn't Castle. I wasn't supposed to know," Kate explained, "but given what she described as our nesting frenzy, Lanie thought she'd better tell me that we're getting one as a group gift from some of the cops at the Twelfth. I believe they said something about hoping my kid won't put out as much shit as my husband does."

"Ooh, ouch!" Castle winced. "Nice. I'm afraid to see what it's going to look like."

"Don't worry. They've enlisted Jenny to oversee the purchase. Apparently they think that Ryan's taken up your conspiracy theory legacy and she's just the one to cope with it."

"Ouch again. But at least we know she's got good taste. She did marry my theory crafting protegé. Is BG ready for a snack?" Castle inquired, eager to change the subject.

"No, I think the curry from lunch is still with both of us. But I wouldn't mind if... Is that from your father?" Kate queried as Castle's phone interrupted with an alert.

"Mm," Castle confirmed. "It says, 'Operation about to commence,' whatever that means. It's almost five o'clock now here, if they're far enough east, it should be a couple of hours later, sundown. Sounds like my father is planning some kind of attack under the cover of darkness. Wow, I wish he hadn't said anything, now I'm going to go crazy waiting to hear from him again."

"Castle, it will be fine," Kate soothed. "Sounds like he has a plan. The way he works, it shouldn't be long. You just need a distraction. You want to play Moonrider?"

Castle's brows rose. "You want to play Moonrider against me? Last time I beat you by twenty thousand points."

"Well then it's time you gave me a chance to redeem myself," Kate declared. "Get the console, Castle."

"I'm not sure Moonrider is going to do it," Castle worried.

Kate stroked the stubble that had begun to form along his jawline. "well if it doesn't, we'll just have to find something that will. Mount up Space Cowboy!"

* * *

Hunt swam along the hull of Gable's ship trying to calculate the most effect placement for the two bombs he carried. The charges were shaped, made to direct the force of the explosions inward. He would just have to find the spots where they would do the most damage. The infra-red readout from the satellite had showed the most heat aft and near the bottom of the ship. That would most likely be the engine: the optimal target for one of his devices. For the other he would have to make an educated guess. He stuck a listening device to the side of the hull to detect voices. The greatest number were midships. That would suggest a large, less easily sealed compartment, more vulnerable to a breech. He attached his second device there. Swimming what he judged to be a safe distance away and inserting plugs to protect his eardrums from the shock wave, Hunt activated his homing beacon and his detonator.

Hayley saw the beacon activate on one screen a second before she saw the blob of red on another. The locations seemed awfully close to each other. She steered the boat toward Hunt. Once Hayley reached Hunt's location, it took a couple of minutes for him to clamber aboard, but he was alert if slightly unsteady. Hayley steered for the ship. Hunt used a searchlight to scan the water. He spotted several crew members before he spotted Gable. Hunt hauled his quarry aboard.

"What about the others?" Hayley questioned. "We can't leave them to drown."

"We could," Hunt replied mildly. "It's not like they're the good guys. But I'll put out a distress call with the coordinates of the ship. There's plenty of wreckage they can cling to. They might even have some life rafts. If they're lucky someone will pick them up before too long."

"And if they're not?" Hayley pressed.

Hunt shrugged. "Fortunes of war, Hayley. You were with MI-5 long enough to know that. When they chose their line of work they painted targets on their backs. We just hit the mark."

Hayley's throat tightened. "That's cold, Hunt."

"When you've been in the business as long as I have, it's just realism." Hunt picked up a transmitter and entered a short string. "The message is sent, Hayley. That's the best I can do." Hunt sent a second message, this one to Castle. "Package acquired."


	54. Chapter 54

Life Goes On

Chapter 54

Milton Archer sat smugly across the desk from Toni Gonzalez while she watched a video of Jared Gable's confession and thumbed through his Interpol file. "Let me get this straight, Mr. Archer. These materials were delivered to you anonymously and at roughly the same time, this Jared Gable was dropped on the doorstep of the FBI. And you don't have any idea who's responsible."

"That's correct Ms. Gonzales," Archer confirmed, "I can only conclude that someone wanted to see justice done and clearly justice does not include prosecuting Hayley Shipton for a murder committed by Jared Gable."

"These materials don't prove Ms. Shipton's innocence, Mr. Archer," Toni asserted. "The confession could have been faked or coerced and unless there's a murder in his criminal history, there's no pattern, so it's irrelevant."

Archer settled back in his seat and smiled. "Well that's the wonderful thing about our justice system, isn't it Ms. Gonzales. I don't have to prove anything; you do - and beyond a reasonable doubt. I just gave you a pile of doubt more than big enough to convince any jury. You and I both know that if this case goes to trial, a very well publicized trial given Richard Castle's involvement, you will lose. All in all not a great career move for you. I plan to offer a motion to dismiss all the charges. Don't oppose it. You'll be doing yourself a favor. With that, Archer brushed an invisible piece of lint from his perfectly tailored suit, rose smoothly from his chair, and left.

* * *

In deference to Kate's tastes, Lanie had decked the baby shower in the basement of The Old Haunt out not in pink, but in a deep purple. Other than the changing table, the presents were minimal, with most of Kate's friends well aware of the Castle's ability to provide abundantly for the impending blessed arrival. The cake, however, was huge, the drinks and junk food plentiful, and the games in full swing. After Hayley's triumph at dolly hot potato, Kate presented her with a gift certificate for a burger at Remy's. "Glad you could make it here, Hayley."

"I'm glad I could make it anywhere besides gaol," Hayley replied. "I expect Gable won't be anywhere else for the rest of his life. And Hunt did send me a message saying Gable's compatriots had been rescued, but they have a few matters to answer for themselves."

"My father-in-law does seem to be able to pull off improbable things, whatever his methods," Kate commented.

"Indeed," Hayley agreed.

"Baby charades," Lanie announced enthusiastically. "Choose your teams!"

"Oh, I wish Castle was here," Kate lamented. "He is really good at charades. No inhibitions at all."

Hayley laughed. "I've noticed. What is Castle doing today? I thought he'd stick his head in somehow. It is his bar."

"He has a book signing. His contract with Black Pawn obligates him to a minimum number and he wanted to schedule them before the baby is born. He'd hoped to finish them before now, but he couldn't fit them in."

"Because he was busy helping me," Hayley surmised.

"Only partly," Kate offered. "He's been working on three different books. He usually used to just work on one at a time, two at the most. But he's been trying to build up a backlog for Gina so he'll have more time with the baby in the early months, when they both need it."

"I've spent enough time with Alexis to know Castle's one hell of a father," Hayley observed.

"Um hm, he is. When he first started following me around, I really thought he was an immature obnoxious brat, but when I saw how he was with Alexis, it revealed a whole new side of his nature. I think that's when I first started to fall in love with him, But if you tell him that, I may ask the guys at the Twelfth to find another reason to arrest you."

"I get the message, Kate," Hayley laughed. "Oh I think Lanie is going to call us to be a team on the next baby word."

Kate shook her head. "Baby words. Not my forté. Now I really wish Castle was here."

* * *

Castle felt as if he'd stitched his smile to his face. It wasn't as if he didn't enjoy meeting his fans. He did. They often proposed insights on passages in his books that had never occurred to him when he was writing them, but gave him some cause for thought. In particular, several of the fans wanted to discuss Derrick Storm's father. He was a relatively new character, since Castle had based him on his own father - except in many ways he was Hunt in reverse. Other than his looks, Carl Storm was everything Jackson Hunt was not. While Jackson had been absent, Carl stood by his son. While Hunt's ethics could charitably be called questionable, Carl's were unimpeachable. Castle had written about the father he wished he'd had and the father he wanted to be. The praise flowed from the fans' mouths as if Carl was the real person, something that on that day, Castle found a little disturbing.

As grateful as Castle was that Hunt had saved the day for Hayley, his blithe acceptance for blowing people up whenever it seemed expedient, once again gnawed at Castle's gut. Despite Kate's reassurances, Castle had felt that strain of ruthlessness flow through his own veins, and Kate knew it. She had heard Douglas Stevens' screams when Castle tortured him for the location where a kidnapped Alexis had been taken. She'd seen him pump bullet after bullet into 3XK without hesitation. And she knew that Castle had finally trapped Jerry Tyson into being the target of Esposito's fatal shot. She'd even seen Castle hit Hal Lockwood so hard that he put hairline cracks in several of his own knuckles. Kate accepted all of that, even respected it, but Castle wasn't so sure he accepted it himself. He wondered if the day would come when whatever instincts his real father had passed on would be unleashed one time too many.

He'd never hit Alexis, just the idea of it made his stomach roil. BG would be safe with him, of that he was sure. But every so often anger surfaced, as it had after Kate left him to go chasing after LokSat. He hoped he channeled it through his characters, especially through Colin. The thoughts he suppressed and the words he had always been afraid to utter would flow through Colin's mouth. There was a catharsis in that he could never feel with Storm or Rook. The chance that path would be his way into the future was both thrilling and terrifying. He wondered if the lines of people so anxious for his smile and his signature now, would follow him down that road. He hoped that they would, but he knew he couldn't count on it.

A nubile young thing was next in line, her assets straining the bounds of her sweater. Once, Castle would have been delighted to return her flirtatious glance and even write some double entendre inside the cover of her book. That time had passed. His fingers were cramping and his shoulder ached. He just wanted to go home. He only hoped the shower would be finished and his wife would be there when he finally arrived. The look in her eyes was the only welcome he needed or wanted to see.


	55. Chapter 55

Life Goes On

Chapter 55

It was Easter, not a day Kate had often enjoyed as an adult. When she was a little girl, he father had taken her to sunrise services. She'd received Easter baskets with the requisite chocolate bunnies and peeps, but also new additions to her growing library. Then her mother had served one of her famous brunches, made even more special with the addition of colored egg studded Italian Easter bread. After that, there was often a visit with her Nona or her Aunt Theresa. As she got older, the baskets were a memory, as was her Nona, but her mother still made fabulous brunches and there were still visits with her aunt and her cousin Sophia. All of that had stopped abruptly with her mother's death. By the time Easter rolled around there would be no more sunrise services for Jim Beckett. With his retreat into a bottle, it would be lucky if he'd rise by noon. Kate would usually hide from the world and watch movies, the more distracting and action packed the better. When she joined the N.Y.P.D., she always volunteered for duty on Easter, as she did on Christmas.

This Easter would be different. As she opened her eyes she could almost feel the sense of renewal in the air. She could also detect the enticing scent of vanilla drifting in from the kitchen. At least Castle hadn't chosen to make s'morelets. She looked forward to both marshmallow and chocolate before the day was over, just not wrapped in an omelet. As she became more awake, she realized that her panties were a little wet. She'd never leaked before, but then she'd never been this huge before either. She supposed during the night her bladder might have given into the pressure a little. She changed them, pulled on a robe and went to find out exactly what Castle was cooking up.

Fat circles of dough sizzled in hot oil. "You're making donuts! From scratch! The doughnut store starts these in the middle of the night. How long have you been up?"

"Not that long," Castle explained. "I was writing last night, but I needed to clear my head, so I made the dough and cut them out. I shoved them in the fridge, then I let them rise this morning. There's a glaze on the counter. It would be great if you could put it on while they're still hot."

"Sure," Kate agreed. "Oh damn!"

"What's the matter?" inquired anxiously.

"I'm wet. I just changed and I didn't even feel like I had to go."

"Oh God, Kate! Did your water break? At the class we took, they said that whoosh you see on TV is just for drama. It can happen, leaking a little bit at a time. I should take you to the hospital. Do you feel any contractions?"

"Castle, watch those doughnuts!" Kate cautioned. "Your oil is smoking! And no I'm not having contractions. I had some Braxton Hicks a week ago but Mrs. Burgemeister said that was normal."

"Well Maybe I should go get her now," Castle worried, turning off the stove and ignoring the half fried pastries.

"You can't, Castle. She decided to treat herself to a cruise."

"Then we are going to the hospital!" Castle declared.

* * *

"Your husband was right," the OB nurse examining Kate announced. "Your water broke. Your labor will probably start all by itself before long, but if it doesn't, the doctor will probably want to induce, to prevent infection. From the look of things you're pretty close to your due date anyway, aren't you?"

"Dr. Gershon thought I had a few more days," Kate replied, but she wasn't positive," Kate confided.

"I'll call her for any special instructions, but we'll get you settled in a room and see what happens. It wouldn't be a bad idea to try and get as much rest as you can, while you can," Nurse Kerry advised, "but if you like, your husband can keep you company."

"Just try and keep him away!" Kate quipped. "He's a lot more prepared for this than I am. I'm still having a hard time believing I'm actually going to have this baby."

"Oh you're going to have the baby. And believe me," Nurse Kerry counseled, "before long there won't be a doubt in your mind."

Kate was surprised that she actually could sleep, but she did. Castle alternately paced the hall and worked on his laptop while she drowsed. Her eyes flew open several hours later as a contraction hit. Castle anxiously called Nurse Kerry, who after a quick but thorough check, assured Kate that everything was fine, but that she was only two centimeters dilated and had a long way to go.

Doctor Gershon walked in the room a few moments later and re-checked what Kerry had reported, nodding in satisfaction. "Looking good Kate. I can start an epidural now, but it could slow things down a bit and you won't be able to move around. If you want to speed this along, you can walk. When your labor had progressed farther, we'll put you on a monitor and start it then. It's up to you."

"I think I'll walk," Kate decided.

"I'll walk with you," Castle piped up.

* * *

"So," Castle proposed, as they strode up and down the hall together, stopping as ever intensifying contractions hit, "don't you think it's time we came up with a real name to replace BG? I have a list."

"I'm sure you do Castle," Kate responded. "so keeping in mind Cosmina is still off the table, what are your top picks?"

"How about Beatrix?" Castle suggested. "It means she who brings happiness."

"Makes me think about she who writes about rabbits. Ooh wait a minute," Kate grabbed on to Castle's arm as another contraction hit, and did her best to breathe. "Oh man. Jesus!"

"You want to name her Jesus?" Castle teased. "Wouldn't Jess or Jessie be better?"

"Castle!" Kate gritted out.

"Okay, next suggestion," Castle offered, "Diana, Amazon princess."

"It's a thought, Castle, but I'm really more of a Marvel girl," Kate decided.

"Natasha, then," Castle offered. "Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, arguably the best butt kicker around. But then, I don't know if I'd want my daughter hanging out with some hulk."

Kate grabbed Castle's arm again, her nails digging into his flesh through the fabric of his sleeve. "Fuck!"

Castle winced. "I'm sorry Kate, no more comic book jokes."

"No, it's not the jokes, Castle. "BG, or whatever we end up calling her, is getting serious. I think it's time for Dr. Gershon to do her thing."

* * *

Kate need not have worried about the anesthetic slowing things down. BG was in a major hurry. In the delivery room two hours later, Dr. Gershon triumphantly announced an Apgar of nine and gently put the baby in her mother's arms, while Castle beamed. "You've got quite a contingent gathered in the waiting area," a nurse announced to the couple. "When Kate gets through recovery and into a regular room, they can see her and the baby. Right now, you might want to give them the news, Mr. Castle."

Castle was torn. He didn't want to leave Kate and the baby, even for a few minutes, but he also knew Alexis and his mother would be furious if he kept them on pins and needles. Jim Beckett wouldn't be happy either, nor would any of the Castles' friends, especially Lanie. He smoothed Kate's hair back and kissed her forehead. "I'll be right back," he promised and went to deal with the expectant visitors.

* * *

Courtesy of Castle's bank account, Kate had a private room. Lanie rushed in with Alexis and Martha at her heels. Jim Beckett followed, carrying a plant. He placed the perfect white flower on the table next to Kate. "I wanted you to have something symbolic of the day," he explained.

Kate and Castle looked at each other, sharing a thought, as they gazed down at the child Kate held. The beauty and promise of Easter," Castle murmured. "Our Easter Lily. Her name is Lily."

Kate smiled up at him and nodded her assent.


	56. Chapter 56

Life Goes On

Chapter 56

The distinctive "ah-lah" cry of a newborn sounded from the bassinet next to the Castle's bed. Kate stirred sleepily, feeling the heaviness in her breasts as they responded to Lily of their own accord. Castle yawned. "I'll get her for you."

Castle pulled himself from beneath the covers and dragged himself around the bed. He carefully picked up the baby and handed her to Kate. Lily immediately began rooting. Castle stroked Lily's dark fuzz with a fingertip. "She goes for you like you go for strawberry shakes, with a similar apperance of ecstasy. And you look pretty serene yourself, if sleepy. Are you sure you want to go back to work today, Kate? You're barely healed."

Kate sighed. "Not sure I want to, Castle, but I need to. Things are piling up. I checked with Nettie and the bus company the city sued to make them air condition the buses for the special needs kids still hasn't responded. In a few months those buses are going to be sweltering and those kids need to be on them to get to their summer programs. Some of those children could get seriously ill. Not exactly what we're trying to accomplish. Nettie said there's a whole new wave of relatives of disabled tenants complaining that their landlords aren't complying with the Disability Rent Increase Exemption too. The landlords are trying to put grannies in wheelchairs out on the street. I need to deal with those issues, but for the next few weeks I'll try to only do half a day. And you'll be bringing Lily to me to nurse, won't you?"

"Of course," Castle confirmed. "We'll see you mid-morning, then I promised Alexis and Hayley I'd bring her by the office for a few minutes. Alexis is in full doting older sister mode. Hayley's sort of nervous about handling a baby, but she's getting into it. Alexis wants get a portable crib for the back room so she can babysit."

"A little soon for that, isn't it Castle?" Kate inquired, switching Lily to her other breast.

"You know Alexis, always planning ahead. Anyway, today Lily will get her first look at the crime solving business. She's got it in her blood, Kate. Anyway, while you finish serving Lily her breakfast, I'll go work on ours. You can grab the first shower. Pancakes?" Castle inquired.

Kate yawned again. "I don't care, Castle, as long as I get my cruelly limited morning allotment of caffeine."

Castle pulled on his robe. "In honor of the extra calories Lily is burning for you, a whole milk latte with two pumps of non-sugar-free vanilla coming up."

* * *

Kate wished she had pulled Bill Garrett's perfectly contoured rocking chair up to the conference table, but somehow it hadn't seemed dignified. She suppressed the urge to squirm in her conventional seat as she listened to a landlord's representative whining that a building could not be properly maintained without a rent increase. He reminded Kate of some of the scuzzier lawyers she'd met, trying to make deals for their even scuzzier clients. "Mr. Siletti," she explained, "I have looked at the maintenance costs for the building in question, as has the accounting staff for the Department of Finance. Neither one of us has found any justification at all for your boss' violation of DRIE. Furthermore if a rollback is not initiated immediately, he may be liable for a hefty fine. So I would sincerely advise him to follow the law. I think we're done here."

Nettie came in as Siletti stomped out. "Another satisfied customer, I see."

"I hope not," Kate confided. "Sometimes I think some of the jerks in this city would charge their tenants for breathing, if they could. But we'll follow the situation. Set the staff up to get the D.A. to bring charges if necessary. And get a hold of Paul Whittaker. A little attention from the press should push things along."

Nettie grinned. "Yes Ma'am!"

Lily's declaration of dissatisfaction made its way through the open door, followed shortly by Castle trying to quiet the complainant. Castle closed the door behind him. "Your constituent has demanded a face to face, or at least a mouth to tit," Castle teased.

Kate rolled her eyes and went with relief to take a seat in Garrett's handiwork. She opened the carefully camouflaged snaps in her blouse and reached up to take Lily, who immediately quieted on finding her morning snack.

"Bad morning?" Castle asked, noting the faint lines in Kate's forehead.

"Just a conference with a jerk. Hardly anything unusual around here," Kate observed. "The staff has been doing a good job while I was gone though, not nearly the pile-up I expected. I think things are going to work out all right, Castle."

"Well that's good, 'cause I think it's a little late to put Lily back," Castle quipped. "Hey, I got a call from Louis Crampton this this morning."

"The guy who's being touted as the successor to Stephen King?" Kate asked.

"I don't there will ever be one," Castle opined, "but the guy is good, capable of a certain delicious creepiness. Anyway, he wants to collaborate. He's setting a story in New York and he wants to make sure he gets the details right. He also wants to explore some of the weirder murder scenarios."

"Well you've certainly seen enough of those," Kate concluded. "But are you going to have the time?" You've still been trying to get some of your own work done in the time while Lily's been asleep and there isn't enough of that if you're going to get any sleep of your own."

"True," Castle acknowledged, "but it's a fun project. And Crompton's publisher is a lot more literary than Black Pawn. I figure if I get my foot in the door there, it might be a good home for Colin. So in a way, I will be doing some of my own work. It won't take that much time. We'll be doing most of it by email and I can send those off in odd moments. He will be coming to New York tomorrow for a stopover on his way to a European book tour, though. He'll just be around for a day and he'd like to get together. He'd like to meet you, too. He's never had a muse and he's fascinated that I do. I thought we could go someplace baby friendly for dinner, or just have him come to the loft."

Kate caught her lip between her teeth. "Define 'baby friendly,' Castle."

"Restaurant with high backed booths, so there are no inquiring eyes in case you decide to give Lily a snack. Louis won't care. He has four kids. You could put her in that front carrier with zipper, then whatever you decided to do would be totally invisible anyway. Also, a restroom with a changing station or a big enough counter to serve as one. A wait staff that is sufficiently unobtrusive. In a few months the designation will include available high chairs, but we don't have to worry about that yet. I actually found an online directory on one of the parents' sites. One of the recommendations serves chicken cacciatore," Castle added enticingly.

"Oh, that was my Nona's specialty. I love it!" Kate exclaimed.

Lily fussed as she was temporarily dislodged, but almost immediately found her meal again.

Castle chuckled. "I know. So shall I make the arrangements? Louis will have a car and a driver. We can just meet him."

"Okay," Kate agreed. "Lily's first night out. This will be one of many new experiences."


	57. Chapter 57

A/N For the guests who asked about Kate's leave: I wasn't explicit but I implied, especially in this chapter, that it's been about three weeks. If you might recall, she set her office up for the baby, she's doing half days, and she and Castle have set things up so she can nurse. Yes, she could and possibly should take more time off, but we are talking about the driven Kate Beckett here. She takes much of her identity from her work. Wanting to get back in harness is consistent with her personality. She is also the second highest ranking official in the city, which is why she can get away with having her office set up the way it is, but also means she has responsibilities. She is the voice of the citizenry who have real troubles. It's not like someone can just step in for her, although her staff is doing a pretty good job. She has every reason to be confident that Castle can handle Lily when she isn't around. Let's face it. He is the one who's always had the most interest in parenthood. That's just canon. If it had been someone other than Kate, would I have given her more time? Sure. But she'll only be gone about four hours a day. She'll still get to see the baby even during that time and she'll continue to kick ass. Not a bad deal.

Life Goes On

Chapter 57

If you were going to try to pick a best selling author out of a crowd, Louis Crompton would not have been your choice. He was short, balding, slightly paunchy, and unassuming. But behind his wire rimmed glasses his eyes were bright, taking in every detail and eager for more. He enthusiastically soaked up stories of bodies hanging from fire escapes or left with their faces frozen in horror. He was also intent on learning about everyday New York life: the subways, the street crossings made treacherous by rushing cabbies, and especially the complaints citizens poured out to Kate. He asked for the check when the waiter brought dessert and promptly paid it, but continued with his questions for his guests. "So the Big Apple has its share of worms," he commented. "Well if it didn't, it wouldn't be much of a background for a story. I can see why you set your Nikki Heats here, Rick."

"The fact that they're based on the actual cases I've worked with Kate has a great deal to do with that," Castle replied. "I do a ton of research for my Derrick Storm books, but that doesn't really compare to living the adventures."

"I can understand that," Crompton acknowledged. "That's why I'm here, however briefly, to soak up as much New York grit as I can. And the food isn't bad either. Your daughter's been quiet, Kate, is she indulging as well?" Kate reddened at Crompton's realization that beneath the shield of her carrier, Lily was sucking greedily. Crompton reached over to pat her hand in a way that could only be described as fatherly. "No need to be embarrassed. My wife did what you're doing with all our kids, all over town, and nobody ever knew a thing. People are remarkably oblivious, or at least most people are. Writers can't afford to be, or cops either, I would imagine."

"You're right about that," Kate agreed. "To a cop, obliviousness can be fatal."

"Yes you, both of you, came as close as it gets," Crompton noted. "That's another thing I wanted to ask about. Both of you have had near death experiences. I was wondering if you would tell me about them. What do you remember?"

Kate shrank from the table. "I'm very sorry Louis, I spent a great deal of time, effort, and therapy trying to escape from that. I remember the world fading away and I kept hearing Castle's voice telling me he loved me, and to stay with him, but if there was anything else, I've pushed it away. The white light, relatives, any of the things people usually report; I don't recall anything like that at all, and I don't really want to try."

Crompton pursed his lips and nodded. "I can't say that I truly understand, because I've never been in that situation. That's why I'm so curious. But I accept what you said, Kate. What about you, Rick?"

Castle exhaled slowly, his mind drifting back to the moments after Caleb Brown's bullet penetrated his chest. "I remember Kate. We were trying to get to each other and I could feel her clinging to my hand. But then I was floating. I could hear sirens, but they seemed to be in another universe. And I knew I was moving but I didn't know where. But I just kept wanting to get back to Kate. Then there was nothing until I woke up. No relatives either, but I don't know whom I would have seen."

Crompton nodded again. "Interesting, so the guiding force for both of you, your tether to life so to speak, was the person for whom you had the strongest feelings. In this case, that was for each other."

Castle reached across the table for Kate's hand. "You got that right, Louis."

"Thank you both. I think I have what I need for now," Crompton declared. "My flight goes out early tomorrow. I'm told the drive to the airport is not swift, nor are the lines through your security. So I'm going to call it a night. I can write a chapter or two on the plane and Rick, I'll email you with whatever other questions come up." With that he rose, inclined his head in a mini-bow to Kate, and left."

"So," Castle asked, "home?"

Kate pointed down at the carrier' "She finished and fell asleep. I don't want to wake her by putting her in her safety seat, at least not yet. How about if we walk a bit?'

"Works for me," Castle replied. "I don't have a Tiramisu to milk conversion like you do. I can use the exercise." Castle offered his arm as they exited the restaurant and strolled along a sidewalk lined with shops and eateries.

"Crompton's an interesting guy," Kate offered as they walked. "Not a man I'd picture writing about an ancient evil possessing a pinball machine."

"Oh, so you have read his work. Well Stephen King isn't exactly the kind of guy you'd picture writing about demonic cars and evil clowns either," Castle noted. "Right now he seems to be more interested in gun control. If you can't tell a book by its cover, then you can't tell a writer by one either. On the other hand, I do look pretty good on a book jacket."

"It is amazing what Photoshop can do," Kate teased. "And Black Pawn is using an old photo. It hasn't changed since Heat Wave. You might consider telling Gina to update it."

"I'm sure she will, if she thinks it will sell books," Castle offered. "But I think she appreciates me in boyish splendor."

Kate reached up to trace a line on Castle's forehead. "Then she's a fool. The man is better, so much better. Castle, let's go home."

"Kate, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking are you?" Castle wondered. "Dr. Gershon isn't going to clear you for another few weeks."

"This from the master of creativity," Kate returned. "It'll be fine, Castle. We'll work something out."

Lily slept when Kate transferred her to her infant seat. She slept through the ride back to the loft. She loudly ceased to sleep in the elevator. Kate wrinkled her nose. "She needs changing."

"I'll do it," Castle volunteered. Castle was quick and efficient, but even with a clean diaper and a body hugging fuzzy sleeper, Lily showed no signs of wanting to resume her slumbers. Both Castle and Kate walked her and rocked her, but every time they tried to put her back in her bassinet, she objected more loudly than Kate would have thought such small lungs could manage.

"Castle, you're the experienced one here," Kate pointed out. "What do we do?"

"Well I know what we're not going to do," Castle responded. "Looks like Lily may be our chaperone for a while. But we can make the best of it. How about if we put on a movie, preferably one with no sex scenes and just all cuddle up. She'll fall asleep eventually."

"How about that New _Yamasong_ puppet thing." Kate suggested. "The voice of the hero of that is kind of soothing."

" _Yamasong March of the Hollows_ it is," Castle agreed.

Lily was sound asleep on Castle's shoulder by the time the final credits rolled, and stayed that way when he laid her in her bassinet. "Are you ready to go to bed too?" Castle whispered softly to Kate.

Kate ran a fingertip over the soft hair in the vee revealed by the open buttons of his shirt. "I'm ready to go to bed, Castle, but it may be a while before I'm ready to go to sleep."

Castle just prayed his daughter would stay asleep this time - and very soundly.


	58. Chapter 58

Life Goes On

Chapter 58

Castle was miserable. The unusually heavy early Spring rains had triggered a record greening of the city. It made for beautiful walks in the park - if your allergic eyes stopped tearing long enough to enjoy the view. His doctor had dispensed a prescription, which helped, but Castle was minimal in his doses, wary of any loss of alertness for Lily. Castle had installed air filters in the loft, which helped too, but not on his daily stroller outing or when he had to take Lily to Kate's office. Castle had expected that he would be spending a lot of time in the park, letting Lily enjoy what passed for fresh air in New York, while he worked on his laptop. But between his eyes and his nose, he couldn't get much work done outdoors anyway, so he kept his baby airings short and hunkered down inside as much as he could.

Colin was also giving him problems. He was trying to write the boy through the beginnings of teenage angst, but Castle was in no mood for angst. He just wanted to draw a few unfettered breaths and maybe, just maybe, get a decent night's sleep sometime. But for that moment, he needed a change of direction. Louis Crompton had sent him notes for his book, incorporating New York hauntings. Castle had been fascinated with the subject ever since he and Kate had investigated the murder of Melanie Benton in the McClaren House. Even though Kate had never believed the place to be haunted, Castle still had a few questions about what had taken place, the sort of questions better addressed in a ghost story than in one of his mysteries or spy novels. There might be a place for fear of the unknown in his chronicle of Colin, but that would come later. For now, Castle craved something eerie that would transport him to a realm where there were more interesting things to worry about than sinus congestion. He checked his watch. Kate had begun to work an afternoon here and there, that particular afternoon included. Castle was scheduled to bring Lily to Kate's office in a couple of hours, at three. Lily was quietly happy in her new baby swing beside his desk. With any luck he'd have enough uninterrupted time to at least get a good start on a story.

The most notable, if rat infested, feature of the McClaren House had been the laird's lug. Castle also remembered it fondly as sparking the first time Kate had climbed all over him. He decided to use the idea in his new story, but he needed a creepy use for it. Hidden rooms like the lug had always been used to observe secrets. But what, he wondered, if they were used not to just overhear what would otherwise remain hidden, but to steal the most intimate longings from people's minds to create a den of ecstasy. What would happen to those who over the years discovered the place and were inhabited by the dreams? How would they be changed? His idea for a short story was rapidly growing into a full length book, or at least a collection of stories connected by a common theme.

The first one was obvious. What if two people like he and Kate Beckett had been, with deep but constantly suppressed feelings for each other, found the haunted room, separately? What would happen if they suddenly knew the truth about each other? An unexpected shaft of pain ripped through him as he remembered how he'd discovered that Kate had known his feelings for her, but had lied. That lie had almost torn them apart, as had his lie of omission about Smith's secret deal to protect her. Suddenly what had started out as light fiction, took a deeper turn. Still, the effects of pollen were completely forgotten as he took his concept forward. His setting would not be a home, but a mansion, Mercy Place, converted to offices, executive suites. The office holders would be connected only by a common mail drop, break room, and message taker. They would be pursuing separate professions, and for the most part only exchange perfunctory greetings. But then things would begin to change.

His first character would have to be a writer, of course. The writer would have to have a problem. No character was any good without a problem. His first problem would be his name, Percival Morgan. Who could ever survive on the schoolyard with a name like Percy? But his mother had been a fan of the Scarlet Pimpernel, so Percy he was. Before Percy was out of kindergarten, Mom realized the challenge she had created for him and enrolled him in Aikido classes. He'd taken the pledge to only use his skills for self defense and it only took one encounter with the playground bully to eliminate the need even for that. As he got older, the girls found his name romantic, so eventually romance was what he wrote. The formula was simple. He picked an exotic locale and researched it. Then he created two people who would have been perfect for each other except for some obstacle. By the end of the book he eliminated the obstacle and there was a happily ever after. He was good at telling those stories. None of them were best sellers, but he sold a steady stream of the books and made a decent living. Percy's problem now was that he had lost the ability to dream of anything more than his present existence. Despite the parade of sweet and desirable women through his books, he had abandoned the dream of a mate of his own. He had written so many fantasies that he had convinced himself that romance was just that - a fantasy. There was no yin to his yang, there was just day after day of crafting perfect pairings on the page.

Castle stared at his screen. Had he suddenly become autobiographical again? For sure, Martha had known better than to saddle him with schoolyard shame, but how about later? After Meredith had so spectacularly cheated on him and his relationship with Gina had disintegrated, he had lost his own happily ever after dream. Women had become a boring, if adoring, flock who wanted their chests signed or a chance to fall into bed with a famous author. Kate had reignited that dream. She had not only unlocked the gate on his words, she had set his emotions free as well. It had been a rocky ride, one that at times had seemed too impossible to continue, but it had been worth it. The pain, the scars, only made the bond stronger. And Lily was the jewel in the crown. Seized with a sudden need to reassure himself that it was all real, he glanced toward his daughter, awake but content with the gentle motion of her toy. It wasn't enough. He pushed back in his chair and crossed the short distance between them. She immediately smiled at his face and he stroked the rapidly growing dark hair he'd recently learned matched Kate's original color. He checked his watch again. There was just enough time to change Lily and load the diaper bag before he brought her to Kate. Lily fussed when Castle stopped the swing, but immediately settled into the warmth of her father's chest. It was the best part of the afternoon. They were both going to see Mommy.


	59. Chapter 59

Life Goes On

Chapter 59

Kate was nervous. Columbia had been more than happy to enroll the Public Advocate in their law school, even for one class at a time, but a glance around her at the other students was daunting. They were the cream of the crop, bright and alert. Almost two decades their senior, Kate felt like an old juggler, desperate to keep a ball from dropping.

Lily was sleeping through the night now, which was a relief. Kate had also become an expert at expressing milk, so Castle could feed Lily when Kate wouldn't be available. The Advocate's office was busier than ever but Kate was still determined to at least put in a couple of hours a day with Lily. And now law school. She wondered if she was making a mistake taking that on as well, but she needed it for two reasons. Her success in her current job hinged considerably on the ability of her office to draft bills that would pass the city council, or even occasionally the state legislature. Kate depended heavily on her staff to produce the paperwork and would call her father for advice from time to time, but it wasn't the same as knowing the intricacies of the law herself. She needed to remedy that.

The second reason was that she didn't intend to be Public Advocate forever. Even if she wanted to, she was term limited. That meant planning ahead. The next natural upward move would be the mayor's office, but that was a job of which Kate wanted no part. Schmoozing, deal making, and ribbon cutting was not how she visualized spending her days. She had seen the most useful action come from state and federal legislation. That would mean aiming for the state house or Washington DC. While Lily was young, the state house would make more sense. Either way, to do her job well, would require a more thorough understanding of the law than she presently had, and Kate couldn't settle for less than doing the best job possible.

Kate wasn't surprised that her professor, Stacy Berman, was a woman. She was a little surprised that Stacy looked to be at least five years Kate's junior. After the graying, bearded, Professor MacDonald, she had envisioned more of a classical sage. But in the first five minutes of class it was evident that Professor Berman had a wealth of knowledge to impart. Kate resolved to absorb it as well and as fast as she could.

* * *

Lily had been occupying her Iron Throne high chair for a month and her domination of the situation was almost complete. Her pediatrician had approved supplementing Kate's breast milk with rice cereal, but Lily regarded it as much as an amusement as a foodstuff. It was smeared in every imaginable place including Castle's hair. He would have loved to take a shower to get rid of it, but couldn't leave the baby alone, so he settled for using the kitchen sink while Lily observed his every move. He viewed his reflection in the shiny surface of the toaster. He still felt a little sticky, but there was no more obvious glop. He could do a better job when Alexis arrived to spend some time with her little sister.

Alexis had graduated from Columbia a month after Lily was born. Castle had tried his best to give the event all the attention it deserved, but with Lily occupying so much of his time, he was afraid he might have given his older daughter the short shrift. Alexis however, appeared to take it in stride, especially after Castle had gifted her with a Mustang convertible. She and Lily had formed a team of sorts, further expanding the feminine power in the Castle family. Castle was now at the mercy of two daughters, but having one of them act as a willing and trustworthy babysitter was definitely an upside.

Castle breathed a sigh of relief as he heard a key in the lock, but was surprised to find it was Kate, not Alexis. "Not that I'd ever not be glad to see you, but I thought you were going back to your office after class."

"I was," Kate acknowledged, "but the air conditioning in the building went out. It may be September, but it's getting close to ninety degrees. I had Nettie tell the staff they could work at home until Maintenance gets the problem fixed." She breathed the cool filtered air appreciatively. "It's great in here." She stared at Castle. "Are you trying out a hair gel? I thought you said they were unmanly."

"Brand new concept; rice cereal based, for the ultimate in control," Castle joked. "Of course the control is all Lily's."

Kate surveyed the baby's artwork on the Iron Throne. "I can see that."

Another key clicked in the lock and Alexis breezed in. "Oh great, you're both here. RCI just took on an interesting case and I could use your opinions."

"Well that's getting to be a rare thing," Castle observed. "Wanting my opinion, I mean, not taking on a case. What's so interesting?"

Alexis immediately went to start cleaning up after her sister, while she talked. "It's the client, Carlton Frasier."

Castle's eyebrows rose. "Billionaire recluse Carlton Frasier? The one nobody's seen in twenty years?"

"Uh huh," Alexis confirmed. "His major domo, a guy named Trey Willig, contacted us and set up a conference call with Frasier, audio only. Frasier said he had an affair forty years ago which may have resulted in a child. He wants us to find out if it did, and if so, what happened to the child."

"Wow, that used to be one of my dreams," Castle confided, "to turn out to be the heir of some mysterious billionaire inventor. So who's supposed to be the mother?"

"That actress, Diana Riggston. I don't remember seeing any of her movies, but she was supposed to have been quite a star in the seventies, sort of a female Bond."

"Yes!" Castle exclaimed. "I rented a bunch of her old films as background for some of Derrick Storm's love interests. She had the moves, kind of the Scarlett Johansson of her day. Then she totally disappeared. There were all sorts of theories about why, and where she went."

"That's just it, Dad," Alexis continued. "Frasier said the time she disappeared was a few months after they had their affair. He was wondering if she went off somewhere to have a child."

"After all this time, why does he want to know now?" Kate queried.

"He didn't say. But he didn't sound well. He stopped to cough a few times while we were talking. Maybe he's dying and he want's to see if he has any family to inherit his fortune," Alexis speculated. "Anyway, I can't find any sign of Diana Riggston, let alone a child, in any of the data bases Hayley and I normally use. I was wondering if the two of you might have any ideas."

"If you want to conspire with your sister for a while, Kate and I can put our heads together and see what we come up with," Castle proposed.

"No problem," Alexis agreed.

Castle motioned Kate into the bedroom. "What exactly is on that twisted mind of yours, Castle?" Kate questioned.

"Actually I plan to introduce Alexis to one of my favorite resources, Bella Armitage. Back when I practically lived at the public library, she was the reference librarian. She could find information on almost anyone or anything, no computer required," Castle explained. "She's retired now, but she's as sharp as ever. I still go to her when I have to research some truly arcane detail for a story."

Kate ran her fingertip down the front of Castle's t-shirt. "So why didn't you just tell Alexis that?"

"Because," Castle replied, pulling Kate tight against his groin. "I wanted an excuse to spend a little time with my wife. I need a shower and I was wondering if you'd like to join me."

Kate grinned and stretched upward for a quick kiss. "Lead the way."


	60. Chapter 60

Life Goes On

Chapter 60

Castle sat up suddenly in bed. "Kate, Do you hear something?"

Kate turned to face him, rubbing her eyes. "From what's on the monitor it sounds like Lily is playing with that new toy you clamped to the side of her crib. I can hear the whirs and the squeaks."

Castle vigorously shook his head. "Not that. Someone is..." Jackson Hunt appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. "Don't you ever knock?" Castle complained.

"In my business giving that kind of warning can get you killed," Hunt returned brusquely. "What the hell is Alexis doing looking into Diana Riggston?"

"Did it ever occur to you to just ask Alexis?" Castle inquired. "Of that's right, she still doesn't even know what her grandfather looks like. Anyway I'm sure you know she works for Richard Castle Investigations, pretty much runs the place actually. She's doing it for a case. The question is, why would that be of interest to the C.I.A.?"

"That's need to know, son," Hunt retorted, "and you don't need to know. Just tell Alexis to drop the case."

"Now wait a minute," Kate interjected. "What Alexis is doing is a completely domestic matter and last time I checked, the C.I.A. wasn't supposed to have anything to do with those."

"Kate, you know better than most what a pile of crap that is," Hunt retorted. "We do what we need to do. But in this particular instance we have a legitimate reason for inquiry."

"Well in that case," Castle inserted, "before I'd advise my daughter to drop an investigation that promises to be both fascinating and lucrative, I do need to know. Come on Dad. You've trusted Kate and me with plenty of classified information. We were even surrogates on one of your missions. This is no time to suddenly worry about the official niceties. We both know that you don't really give a damn."

Hunt sighed in resignation. "Alright. Diana Riggston was one of ours. In the seventies there was an influx of people from the Middle East, especially Iran, into California. That included the Hollywood community. This was before the Shah was deposed. If you remember your history, we put him in place in the '50's. We wanted to keep an eye out for anyone who might be conspiring to take him down, and what better spy than someone who played one in the movies."

"She must not have done a very good job," Castle commented.

"Not her fault. Turned out the uprising came from an entirely different direction. Still, we now had an entirely different group of people to watch and she was taken off her assignment."

"Is that why she disappeared?" Kate queried.

"No, or at least not entirely," Hunt responded. "She did something stupid and she had to take care of the consequences."

"Meaning she had an affair and got pregnant," Castle surmised.

"Yes," Hunt confirmed. "Obviously she wasn't the only spy who forgot to take precautions in the heat of the moment son, or you wouldn't be here. Yes, she had a child, a boy. She decided to raise him quietly. She changed her appearance, possibly one of the few times a woman has had surgery to make herself less beautiful. She assumed a new identity and opened a martial arts studio specializing in teaching self defense for women. It's still there. She can still throw a mean kick, but she's pretty much retired from active teaching."

"Sounds like it was her way of keeping her character alive," Castle speculated.

"Perhaps," Hunt conceded. "But the apple didn't fall far from the tree, so to speak. Her son is one of ours. At the moment he's in deep cover. That's why Alexis can't go poking around anymore. It will endanger him, his mission, and the operatives he works with."

"Can you at least get some kind of a message to him?" Castle asked. "In your better moments you might even have some sympathy with the situation. Tell him his father is looking for him."

"Damn!" Hunt exclaimed. "I know who his father is. And if Alexis can't find his son, he has the resources to hire whomever he thinks will. The more people involved in this the worse it will be. I'll see what I can work out and get back to you." Hunt left without another word.

"Nice seeing you too, Dad," Castle called after him.

Kate pressed herself into her husband's shoulder. "You know, Castle, there's another way the apple didn't fall far from the tree. You've never been able to keep from stumbling into trouble. It looks like Alexis has the same problem."

Castle's mouth turned up in a crooked smile and he put a hand behind his ear. "I think I hear the pot clanging that the kettle is black. Lily's probably got a double dose of the trouble magnet gene. I think this time around I am going to have to hire a commando or two to protect my daughter."

"I think we've got a few years before we have to worry about that, Castle," Kate laughed. A cry sounded through the speaker of the monitor. "And speaking of Lily..."

Castle grabbed his watch from the nightstand. "Six A.M.. Not bad."

"I'll go take care of her," Kate said, "if you'll start the coffee. Castle mocha special?"

"Mocha special it is," Castle confirmed. "Dark or extra dark chocolate?"

"Surprise me," Kate responded, heading for the nursery.

Castle checked his coffee canister. His Flavor Country was getting low. With everything else going on, ordering regular supplies for the kitchen was falling behind. He wished Kate hadn't made him get rid of Lucy. She could be a pain in the butt at times, but she had kept things like that up to date. He finished setting up the coffee to brew, complete with shavings of extra special dark chocolate, and went to get his phone to put in a coffee order.

There was an alert from Louis Crompton on the lock screen. He was flying in that day for a meeting with his publisher about his new book. He wanted Castle to come along. He also suggested that Castle bring whatever writing he'd done that wasn't promised to Black Pawn. It would be a great opportunity to float both Colin and Mercy Mansion, but it had definitely not been on the schedule. Castle knew Kate had a council meeting. There was no way, or at least no good way, Lily could be with her for that. Alexis was a possibility, but the last thing Castle wanted, was to discuss was Carlton Frasier's case, at least until he heard back from his father. The Ryan's were out of town, so he couldn't leave Lily with Jenny. That left Martha, or taking Lily with him. Martha had a show that night, which would leave her time constrained. He had taken Lily with him to Black Pawn a couple of times before, in a front carrier, and later a backpack. She had been content and gloried in the attention she drew from the staff. As long as she was in contact with Castle's body, had interesting things to look at, and wasn't hungry or wet, she should be fine on a new field trip. If nothing else, it would be a test of how accommodating Crompton's publisher could be, and Castle knew that he'd be needing accommodation for some time to come. Castle texted back that he'd be attending the meeting - with a plus one.

A/N For those trying to keep track, Lily was born on Easter, which in 2017 will be in the middle of April. Columbia Law school starts in September, so Lily is about five months old at this point and Kate has been in office for about nine months. Also, Commencement at Columbia is in the middle of May, so the timing for Alexis' graduation works out as well.


	61. Chapter 61

Life Goes On

Chapter 61

Castle had never been the the offices of Bromwell and Pilcher before. Long ago they had sent him one of the twenty rejections he'd received for _In a Hail of Bullets_. He remembered it had been a form letter with his name typed in and with the standard "much work of merit," line. He looked around. The building was old, dating back to the 1920's. It had an air of heaviness to it. The furnishings were luxurious yet understated. Everything spoke of longevity and the inevitable conservatism that accompanied it. He could understand why they wanted no part of his first book. It would have been a challenge to their staid sensibilities. He didn't understand why they liked Louis so much, except that his books generated millions of dollars in revenue. And they hadn't picked up the first Crompton book either, or the second. In fact, they'd acquired him as an author when they'd absorbed a smaller publishing house that had fallen on hard times when its founder had a stroke. Lily was also unimpressed by the elegant lobby, more interested in playing with Castle's hair than in her posh surroundings.

The receptionist, Amy Brant, greeted Castle with genuine pleasure. "Mr. Castle, we're discouraged from talking about outside authors here, but I really love your books. The romance between Rook and Nikki and how it parallels how you fell in love with Detective Beckett, it just gives me warm fuzzies." Lily smiled over Castle's shoulder. "And your daughter, she's just adorable. She obviously gets good genes from both her parents."

"That remains to be seen," Castle quipped. "Can you direct me to the Crompton meeting?"

"I'm sorry," Amy apologized. "No visitor goes unescorted in the building. Mr. Crompton is with Ms. Hanly. I'll have her assistant, Margo, come and take you up. It will just be a minute."

Castle was grateful to have Margo as a guide. The elevator was modern, but one antique wooden door looked much like another. Margo finally opened one into a conference room with a mahogany table, and matching chairs upholstered in soft brown leather. Peg Hanly and Louis Crompton were already in conversation. Louis motioned Castle in. The chairs would not accommodate continued wearing of a back pack, so Castle used the metal prop to stand Lily up on the table where he could easily reach her and she could take in the action.

"Mr. Castle, Louis was just telling me how helpful you've been in the production of his new book. I'm pleased that you - and your daughter - could make it," Peg added unconvincingly.

Crompton immediately picked up the conversation. "Rick, I was just telling Peg that you have projects other than Storms and Heats underway. Perhaps you'd like to tell her about them."

Castle pulled a thumb drive out of his pocket and a folder out of Lily's diaper bag. He passed both to Peg Hanly. "I have two. One is a coming of age story of a boy with abandonment issues. As yet it's untitled. I'm just referring to it as Colin, the name of my protagonist. The other, Mercy Mansion, is a series of connected tales of people who experience unexpected revelations, and how it affects their lives. Hard copy of my outlines are in the folder and both the outlines and sample chapters are on the drive."

Peg Hanley nodded, taking the folder and the drive and pushing them aside. "You do have quite a following, Mr. Castle."

"Rick," Castle requested.

"Fine, Rick then. As I said, you do have quite a following," Peg repeated. "It is conceivable that your readers may be interested in more serious works. I will look these over when I get a chance. Now concerning Louis' upcoming book. He feels that you should be listed as an additional author."

"I'm flattered," Castle said, "but if you are using my name - and my following - are we talking about royalties or just putting my name on the jacket? Because if that's all you want to do, a line in the acknowledgments would be sufficient, but it wouldn't do much to sell books."

"Perhaps I should have invited your agent to the meeting," Peg offered dryly.

"I will have her get in touch with you," Castle replied. "She's in California right now negotiating the movie rights to _Ultimate Storm_. It seems there are others interested in - my following."

Crompton coughed. "We were talking about the details of the hauntings, specifically the level of sexuality. That is Rick's area of expertise."

Castle gave Crompton a "you're not helping," look.

Lowering her lids, Peg stared at Lily. "Obviously. Well Rick, what would you suggest?"

Castle had had enough. "I would suggest that you get the stick out of your ass, Ms. Hanly. Sex sells books. You know the definition of a classic? It's a book everyone wants to have read but no one wants to read. Well people read my books, Ms. Hanly. I may be taking a step up in the literary world. I may not. You could have judged that if you'd actually looked at the outlines I just gave you. But Bromwell and Pilcher is in the business for money, not love, and I generate money, lots of it. So you have no reason to look down your nose at me and you certainly have no reason to look at my daughter that way. I'm sorry Louis, but I don't need to expose Lily to this kind of an atmosphere. If you need something, give me a call." Castle slipped his arms back into the straps of Lily's back pack and picked up the diaper bag. "And Ms. Hanly, I will take back my file and my drive too. I'm sure when my agent has a minute she can find a literary publisher who will be more than happy to welcome me."

Castle headed for the door with Margo quickly trotting after him. "I'm so sorry Mr. Castle. I'm sure Ms. Hanly didn't mean to offend you."

"Margo, you don't need to apologize for your boss," Castle told her. "if she wanted to blow a deal that could have been very profitable for Bromwell and Pilcher, that's her problem, not yours." Castle did stop for a second to give a friendly nod to Amy before he left, and strode as quickly as he could to his car. He caught Lily staring intently at his face as he strapped her into her seat. Her lip trembled and her eyes began to glisten. Castle immediately smiled and stroked her hair. "Don't worry sweetheart, Daddy's not mad at you, just at the snobby lady."

"Da ma ob," Lily babbled.

Castle couldn't help grinning. "Exactly right. The Castle gift for words always surfaces at an early age."

Castle slipped behind the wheel still smiling. He had made it halfway back to the loft when an alert from his phone showed up on the screen on his dash. It was just his luck that for forty blocks he didn't hit a single red light, giving him no opportunity to read it. When he finally stopped, a rush of victory shot through his veins. It was from Paula Haas, his agent. "Made deal. Storm will storm the screens. Call me!"

Castle was incredibly tempted to respond right then, but he'd made a solemn pledge to himself that he wouldn't allow himself that kind of distraction with Lily in the car. He made himself wait until the car was securely parked in the garage beneath the loft. Then he found himself waiting a little longer. Lily had begun to fuss in the way he'd long ago come to recognize as expressing her need to be changed. Sighing, he took her upstairs and completed the task before putting her in her swing.

* * *

Paula picked up on the first ring. "Rick, what took you so long? Listen, they're going to give you credit for the story and veto power over the adaptation. You're getting paid $250K up front but you're also getting a piece of the gross. The gross, Ricky! That means they can't add all the fake costs to the movie to leave you ending up not making anything. And that includes video too, so you still make money even if the film never hits the screen, like what happened with Nikki Heat. This is the best deal I ever made!"

"Paula that's outstanding!" Castle responded. "I'll have a bottle of something terrific waiting for you when you get back. But listen, now I need you to shop around for another deal." Castle quickly outlined what happened at Bromwell and Pilcher."

Paula snorted. "You never should have gone in there without me, Rick. I know Peg Hanly. Always a bitch. You can do better, and with me on it, you can do much better. I'll let you know when I have something."

As Paula ended the call, Castle listened to Lily babble happily as she swung, "Da boo."

"That's right kid," Castle declared. "Daddy is going to write lots more books and no one like Peg Hanly is getting any of them."


	62. Chapter 62

Life Goes On

Chapter 62

Castle could hardly believe it was almost Christmas. Lily had forgone crawling for scooting around on her bottom. In the last week she had also begun pulling herself up on things. It was earlier than Castle could remember Alexis doing it, but then Kate was more athletic than Meredith, so it made some kind of sense. Castle was proud of Lily, but it did make preparations more difficult. At Thanksgiving, he was still able to have a turkey roasting for hours without worrying about his daughter getting to the oven and somehow burning herself on the door. Even though he'd done his best to gate the kitchen off, he worried. He would need to have the place remodeled so that the oven was up high. He should have thought of it sooner, but now there was no time. This year, anything requiring much baking time would be catered. The top of the stove would still work, as would the microwave, but the oven was out of bounds.

There were other changes. Castle had a much smaller tree than usual, erected on an elevated platform out of Lily's reach. As an additional precaution, he and Kate had decided to use all non-breakable ornaments for the next few years. It would leave a lot of beautiful and classic ones in storage, but the peace of mind would be worth it. It had also given the Castles an excuse for Christmas decoration shopping trips. From her stroller, Lily had been wide-eyed at the array of lights and shining baubles. In deference to both the environment and the safety aspects, Castle had invested in hundreds of feet of new LED lights, not only for the tree but for every conceivable spot in the loft.

There was no way Castle would give up either his Christmas train or his Christmas village, but they were both set up out of Lily's reach. Nonetheless, the baby had a fascination with both the motion of the cars, and the toots and clicks they made. From her father's arms, she would gaze in wonder.

It would be a big day for Alexis. Her grandfather had arranged a satellite enabled conference between Carlton Frasier and his son. There would be no video, and the encrypted signal would be bounced around the world enough times to avoid a trace, but Carlton would achieve his goal. Alexis would not be allowed to listen, but she would be getting the credit, as well as a fat check for Richard Castle Investigations. Frasier had also, as CEO of Frasier Industries, agreed to a contract with RCI for any future investigative services the company might need. If Carlton was, as Alexis suspected, seriously ill, the contract would provide business for RCI even in his absence.

Another piece of news had been a blurb in the book section of _The Ledger_ that Louis Crompton would be ending his relationship with Bromwell and Pilcher, and had contracted for three books with Curtis and Strom. The notice went on that Curtis and Strom had also signed Richard Castle for works unrelated to Derrick Storm or Nikki Heat, both of which would continue under Black Pawn until the close of Castle's current contract. The literary world was looking forward with curiosity to whatever new inventions would be flowing from the Castle pen.

With Christmas falling on a Monday, most city employees would be taking their time off after, rather than before, the holiday, but city business in general had slowed down in the days since Thanksgiving and Kate was taking time off whenever she could. She and Castle had planned another shopping trip for the day. Kate still needed presents for the Beckett side of the family: her father, Aunt Theresa, and her cousin Sophia. There were also gifts for the Ryans and Esposito as well as small holiday surprises for her staff. Castle still subscribed to enough catalogs to overflow the mailbox. In the months leading up to the holidays, whenever he saw something he felt would be perfect for anyone in his family, he ordered it and stashed it away. Still with Lily growing and changing by the hour, there always seemed to be something new he wanted to get for her. Kate's main task was to curb his enthusiasm enough to leave a few things for the rest of the younger denizens of New York.

While Kate was finishing up a call with Nettie, Castle came into the great room with a barely visible Lily bundled under an eye-dazzling snowsuit. Kate blinked at the startling array of bright flowers. "Oh God, Castle, that thing is almost psychedelic. Did you get it from some aging love child?"

"Not the most flattering description of my mother, but I suppose you could say that," Castle agreed. "You know how she loves color. She told me she saw this and just couldn't resist it. One thing is for sure. No one could even try to snatch Lily in this thing. She'd be visible for blocks. Lily'll grow out of it soon anyway, possibly by tomorrow, and I'll be able to honestly tell mother she wore it. Lily seems to like it. She does glory in being the center of attention."

"Definitely a Castle family trait there," Kate observed. "Well I suppose we should get out of here before she swelters to death."

It was not a long walk, even pushing a stroller, to a boutique featuring wares from global designers, crafted for all age ranges. Olive Branch reached out to artisans in far flung spots of Africa, Asia, and South America, for unique creations that also funneled much needed money into depressed areas. Fibers were natural, often spun and woven strictly by human hands. The quality was carefully and lovingly scrutinized. Castle had never purchased a gift there that hadn't delighted the recipient, especially Martha, who always strove for total uniqueness in her look. The store also carried carvings in wood and native stone. Kate chose a one of a kind collection of little teak baseball players for her father. For Theresa there was a soft and warm alpaca shawl. Kate decided a necklace of braided leather would be perfect for Sophia. The members of Kate's staff would receive carefully smoothed and polished worry stones, appropriate, given the stress of their jobs. Jenny had mentioned Sarah Grace and Nicholas had managed to tear up her bedspread, so Kate bought the Ryans a new one, along with some of the stuffed fabric ornaments the Castles were buying for their own tree. Kate puzzled over Esposito until Castle proposed that a throw the detective could use as emergency disguise for the beer and salsa stains on his couch might be helpful, especially if the man got unexpectedly lucky. Castle also suggested a new gaming console, but they wouldn't find that at the Olive Branch. Castle couldn't leave without getting something for Lily, in this case, a whimsical rag doll.

The clerk was busy stuffing the Castles' purchases into their canvas shopping bags when Castle's phone signaled a 911 from Alexis. "What's wrong?" he demanded as he swiped acceptance of the call.

"Dad, I just got a call from Carlton Frasier."

"Didn't he talk to his son?" Castle queried.

"Oh he did," Alexis confirmed, "but the call was cut short. And the news reported that at the exact same time he was cut off, there was was a huge explosion in London. It could have been a coincidence, but Dad, it was to the minute. Frasier is frantic to know what happened. Is there any way we can get in touch with your father?"

"Not really," Castle replied. "He gets in touch with me and I never know when or how he'll turn up."

Castle could hear Alexis' frustration through the phone. "Well in that case, Hayley says she's going to London."


	63. Chapter 63

Life Goes On

Chapter 63

From as close as the public was allowed to get, Hayley surveyed the blast site. It was by no means a typical terrorist target. There had been no commuters, no busy shoppers, or concert goers. The explosion had just shattered several houses in a fairly shabby neighborhood. But of course there was more to it than that. That always was. Her contact in MI-5 had confided that one of the targeted dwellings had been a way station for agents from friendly nations, including the United States. It was more than likely that Carlton Frasier's son, who called himself by the unoriginal moniker of Joe, had been present and in conversation with his father when a bomb had been triggered. The authorities had been mum about victims, giving an official statement only that information was being withheld until bodies could be identified and next of kin notified. Hayley had to find out more about the house she suspected Joe had occupied. If he had been blown up during his conversation with Frasier, there would have to be some sign.

* * *

Castle was determined not to let the events in London cast a pall over Lily's first Christmas Eve, or at least her first one outside the womb. He had special ordered a huge quilted stocking for her and lifted her above the fireplace so she could hang it. Castle had managed to produce batches of cookies during Lily's naps. The turkey, stuffing, and pies had been delivered from the kitchens of Q3, Jim Beckett was bringing a corn casserole and the rest of the side dishes had been prepared out of Lily's reach.

Lily, wearing bright red corduroy overalls and a green t-shirt, was busily exploring a giant plastic igloo Castle had found at Baby's Expeditions. Castle had tried to put an elf hat on her, but after she pitched it across the room five times, he gave up. Kate had joked that with an arm like that, Lily might easily develop the Beckett love of baseball. Castle was hoping for something more in the geek domain, but if his daughter ended up swinging a bat instead of a light saber, he could handle it. With a heart of pure mush, he knew he'd love anything Lily did.

The doorbell buzzed and Kate admitted the Ryans. Sarah Grace immediately ran to check out the igloo, with Nicholas close at her heels. Jenny presented Castle with a crock pot filled with mulled cider, confessing that something extra had been added that wouldn't be appropriate for the kids. Castle grinned and winked.

Esposito arrived next with his fiancée. Ryan was endlessly pleased that after so many meaningless forays into the world of dates enjoyed primarily for their prowess on a stripper pole, his friend was now engaged to an earnest woman he had grown up with. Maria had worked her way through City College and joined a non-profit that set up programs in their old neighborhood to support teens, keeping them out of gangs and in school. She had prevailed on Javier to mentor several of the teens she worked with and what had been a lifelong friendship had slowly developed into much more. Kate had developed a friendship with Maria as well and had used her input on some of the projects supported by the Public Advocate's office.

Kate and Castle looked questioningly at each other as Jim Beckett and Martha arrived together, with Martha too hurriedly explaining that they had met in the elevator. Alexis was the last to complete the gathering, rushing in distractedly checking her phone for texts or emails from Hayley. Castle put an arm around her. "Hey Sweetheart, maybe Hayley's taken a few hours to enjoy Christmas for herself. It's not like she doesn't deserve or need it."

"You're right Dad," Alexis conceded. "Of course she does. I'm just wondering what she found out, but I'm sure she'll let me know us soon as she can." Alexis lit up as she caught sight of the junior group at the igloo. She got down on her hands and knees and growled. "Better hide! Polar bear coming your way."

Sarah Grace squealed and herded Nicholas and Lily deep inside. Alexis pretended to paw at the plastic ice blocks before grunting and declaring that she could get an easier meal elsewhere. Kate took that as her cue to call everyone to dinner. Lily was set up in her high chair. While Kate still provided the majority of her daughter's nourishment, Lily would get bits and pieces of finger food, allowing her to participate in the celebration. Nicholas and Sarah Grace had booster seats, raising them to a level where they could comfortably eat at fully laden table. Castle was at one end of the table with Kate on his right. Jim Beckett occupied the other end with Martha nearby. With encouragement from her parents, Sarah Grace said a simple prayer, and Castle and Kate began doling out food.

* * *

Christmas merriment was in full swing at the Boar and Hounds as Hayley bent over a scarred wooden table with MI-5 agent, Declan Murphy. I'm a little gobsmacked that you've gotten into this Hayley," Declan admitted. "I thought you were out of the game."

"I am," Hayley declared. "Unfortunately, my new line of work ran up against the old trade. So, what can you tell me about who was in that house and more to the point, did anyone survive?"

"Hayley, you know bloody well that I can't tell you anything, at least not officially. Out of the game is out of the game. Unofficially, there is a body missing. The ones we have were so badly burned and mangled they have yet to be identified. Even the dental work was messed up by the blast. That house has an escape route, a trap door to a tunnel. If that bomb gave any warning at all, and someone managed to slip through, they might have survived, although they would have been pretty badly shaken up. That was one hell of a bomb. There was no body in the tunnel either. There were a few tracks, but we have no idea how old they might be."

"Were there any bolt holes nearby someone escaping the explosion could have used?" Hayley inquired.

"We've checked any we knew about, but you know, sometimes assets have their own. When a covert location is blown like that, an operative knows they've been burned. They don't know who they can trust. You know about that Hayley. You've been there. If your guy did manage to escape. He's gone to ground. We'd have no better idea of where he is than you would."

"Bollocks!" Hayley exclaimed, grabbing her mug for a deep swig of beer. "I have nowt. Maybe my people in the states do, but I'll be damned if I'll ruin their Christmas. It can wait 'til Boxing Day. He's probably brown bread anyway. Another thirty-six hours won't matter."

* * *

By eight P.M. the guests had all departed. Lily's eyes were heavy, but in Castle tradition, her father lifted her above the fireplace and helped her retrieve her stocking. Kate pulled the first item, a plush purple elephant, out to show her daughter. Exclaiming "Fa!" Lily grabbed it immediately hugging it tightly in her arms. Kate tried to encourage her to look at the rest of her baby booty, but Lily was uninterested, clinging to her first Christmas discovery. Finally her lids closed completely.

Castle carried her to her crib, the elephant still in her grasp. He pulled Kate close as she joined him to gaze at their sleeping daughter. Castle lightly kissed his wife's hair, fragrant with Christmas. "A third in the line of elephant loving Beckett women. You know, I think somewhere your mother is smiling."

Kate snuggled against her husband's side. "I know she is."


	64. Chapter 64

Life Goes On

Chapter 64

It was still dark, but Lily's babbles came through the monitor, letting the Castles know that she was awake, if not unhappy. Castle grabbed his watch from the nightstand. It was five A.M.. Children all over the time zone would be up already tearing at ribbons and bright wrapping paper. He could still vividly remember awakening to the sounds of a younger Alexis' happy squeals.

Kate stretched beside him and turned to bask in the warm smile of recollection on his face. "Merry Christmas."

Castle pulled her in for a kiss. "Merry Christmas to you. Care to place a bet on how long it will be before Lily wants her morning joy?"

"Not long enough for us to have ours," Kate guessed. Fussy sounds began to emanate from the speaker. "Okay, I'd say about thirty seconds. I can go cut her off at the waah."

Castle laughed. "Pretty clever for so early in the morning. Alright, you go take care of Mommy business and I will start the Christmas waffles. I'm doing the kind where I beat the egg whites stiff, which will take a little while. We should be finished around the same time, and then we can enjoy a leisurely Christmas breakfast before Alexis and Mother and your dad show up to open what's under the tree."

Kate ignored what popped into her head at the mention of beating something stiff and pulled on her robe to head for the nursery. "A leisurely Christmas breakfast sounds wonderful, Castle. Meet you at the table."

Castle was warming spiced apples to top the waffles when Alexis rushed into the loft. "Dad, I can't stand it. I still haven't heard from Hayley and I need to do something about the case."

"Want to talk about it over a waffle?" Castle offered.

"No waffles Dad!" Alexis exclaimed in frustration. "What can I do? Did your father mention anything at all I can work on?"

"There was the martial arts studio," Kate called, coming in from the nursery with Lily scooting along the floor beside her. "Hunt said that Diana Riggston changed her name and appearance and founded a martial arts studio. He said it's still there."

"That's right," Castle picked up, "one specializing in instructing women. There couldn't have been too many of those started in that era. If you consider when she had her affair and assume that Diana wouldn't have started seriously kicking butt until after her son was born, that would have made it thirty-eight to thirty-nine years ago. There would have been public records, a business license, advertising. If you can locate the studio, you should be able to locate Riggston. She must have some link with her son."

Alexis impulsively grabbed both her father and Kate, giving each a kiss on the cheek, then bent down to kiss her sister. "Great! Dad, can I use your computer to hook into the system at RCI?"

"Of course," Castle agreed, "sure you don't want a waffle first?"

"No thanks," Alexis called over her shoulder as she headed for the Castle's office.

Kate couldn't help smiling as she shook her head. "Leisurely."

"Well it's still a Christmas breakfast," Castle pointed out, pouring the warm apples out of a saucepan onto the waffles and topping them with spritzes of whipped cream. "And we have plenty of time for showers. You can even take a bubble bath if you want one. With luck, before the parents storm our gates, we'll be able to cuddle a little while Lily plays."

Kate breathed in the cinnamony sweetness floating off the apples. "Sounds nice Castle."

* * *

Martha swept in about two minutes before the arrival of Jim Beckett, but Castle could have sworn that when he greeted her, he caught a hint of Jim's aftershave. Martha might be the consummate actress, but there were still some things she couldn't quite cover up. He'd see what Kate had to say about it later. Alexis put aside her research to join the group, but reported that she had found a lead on a likely martial arts establishment. Castle had pulled chairs up in front of the platform holding the tree and Jim Beckett held Lily on his lap while Kate and Castle took turns distributing gifts one by one. Jim handed his granddaughter off to Martha when he received his baseball figures, afraid that Lily might find them perfect for a Christmas Day mouthing. Gifts were opened slowly, allowing time for admiring exclamations over the contents, with Alexis making sure that eligible wrappings were separated out to be recycled. Finally when all the gifts had been extravagantly appreciated and Lily squirmed to be set down, Kate served hot chocolate and Castle presented the best of his cookie creations.

The loft was free of visitors by early afternoon. Alexis had decided to continue her computer search from RCI and Jim and Martha both declared they had other visits to make. Lily had exhausted herself and was napping in her crib with her purple elephant, which after a mountain of other toys, still seemed to be her favorite gift.

Castle looked around his suddenly quiet home. "We're alone. Neither one of us has to go anywhere or speak to anyone, Lily is asleep and we're actually alone."

Kate wrapped her arms around his waist. "Guess Santa brought us an extra present."

"That he did," Castle murmured huskily. "And we wouldn't want to insult him by wasting it."

"We certainly wouldn't want to do that," Kate agreed.

Castle scooped her up in his arms. "I think I'll open this one in the bedroom."

Kate had dressed for Christmas visitors, as had Castle. Castle eased her red velvet blazer from her shoulders. She returned the favor by pulling a Christmas sweater displaying drunken reindeer over his head. They both attacked the buttons of the shirts underneath. Finally Kate tugged off his t-shirt while he skillfully unhooked her nursing bra. "You know, Castle," she warned. "It has been a couple of hours since Lily nursed, there's a good chance I'm going to spurt."

"Not like it hasn't happened before," Castle laughed. "Try to avoid getting it in my eyes this time, but all in all I think it's worth the risk."

"My brave man," she purred, reaching for his waistband.

He reached for the button and zipper that secured the pants on her now slim but shapely figure. Kate gasped at the first touch of his hand on her freshly bared sensitivity. "Really?" Castle marveled. "Santa has been good." He stroked her once more and she immediately pressed her lips to his, her tongue seeking the deep recesses of his mouth. Urgency overcame them both and their bodies pressed together, each square inch of skin seeking an answering touch. They found each other by memory ingrained in nerves no longer needing conscious instruction. Her teeth dug deeply into her lip as he slid inside and his fingers found her most needful spot. A golden mist danced behind her eyelids; the pressure growing within her as he moved. Her hands clasped his muscular buttocks, urging him ever deeper inside. The end came with a scream and three squirts. Kate lay panting as Castle slowly rolled aside, but held fast to her hand.

"Castle, did I get you?" Kate asked.

"I don't care," Castle replied, taking no notice of the white fluid on his chest. "Are you in the puddle?"

Kate licked lips made dry by the rapid expulsion of air . "I don't care either." She drew several deep breaths before she could speak again. "Well Mr. Wordsmith, what would you call this?"

Castle struggled for air of his own and squeezed her hand. "I'd call it Santa's best present ever."

A/N A guest asked where Lanie is. I wanted to give Espo a chance with a new lady. Having Lanie around would have been awkward. But you may assume she is with her own parents.

If you've been wanting to read my book about an autistic vampire, Dark Awakening by Sally Ramsey, but have been too short on funds, the Kindle version is on sale on Amazon this week for 99 cents USD.


	65. Chapter 65

Life Goes On

Chapter 65

Belle Persky had come to her studio for peace. It was surprisingly busy for a Christmas day. She imagined some of her students were either working out their holiday aggressions, or just didn't celebrate the holiday and had no wish to be around those who did. Belle was feeling anything but festive. She and her son had always had a periodic check-in, even if it was just one word with meaning only to the two of them. It had been scheduled to come that morning and it did, but not "Anemone," the reassuring word she'd hoped for. Long ago she'd named the home of her new career for the sea creature who looked beautiful but could sting. In her communications with her son, it had come to mean a place of safety. The terse message that had flashed on her phone, however, had been "Alice," meaning Carl was in a hole and was not sure how to get out. It did, thankfully, also mean he was alive. He had extricated himself from holes before, usually with most of his skin intact. And as she had before, she would just have to wait for his all clear. She went out to join the students in the dojo, to run through a slow and practiced routine that would clear her mind.

* * *

Alexis examined the information on her screen. Of all the martial arts studios founded within her target time frame, Anemone had caught her eye. The first anomaly was the absence of an Asian sounding name. Almost every studio had one, regardless of the ethnicity of the owner. The second was not only female ownership, but a primarily female staff and student body. The sole proprietor was listed as Belle Persky. The telling detail was that before the opening of Anemone, Belle Persky did not exist, or rather she had, but had died at three months of age. This Belle Persky was very much alive and had a son, Carl. "So she named him after his father," Alexis mused. There was no current personal contact information for Belle, but Anemone had a website with a "Contact us" pull down. Alexis filled it out, marking it urgent, and hoped for the best.

* * *

Martha Rodgers and Jim Beckett shared a pu pu platter at the Golden Dragon, a place that could be counted on to be open on Christmas, but not frequented by either of their circles of friends. "I don't understand why we have to keep our relationship from the family, Jim," Martha declared. "They'll be happy for us."

Jim Beckett tried hard to manage his chopsticks. He had always been much more of a fan of forks, but Martha insisted that the metal ruined the taste of Chinese food, so he went along with her choice of utensils. Telling Katie, however, was one thing he couldn't go along with, at least not yet. "I'm sure Rick will, and Alexis too, but Katie is more complicated. She was always so close to Johanna. She followed her every move. She wanted to be Johanna, fighting for justice in an evil world. When Johanna was murdered, we both shut down in our own ways. Katie closed herself off from everything except avenging her mother. I crawled into a bottle. Katie helped me pull myself out. Rick broke through Katie's walls, much as she resisted his efforts. But the loss of Johanna has been a bond between Katie and me. She may have transferred her efforts from the N.Y.P.D. to the Public Advocate's office, but her emulation of her mother hasn't changed. If anything, now that she's in law school and has a daughter of her own, it's increased. I'm just afraid if she sees me with someone else, she'll take it somehow as a betrayal of Johanna's legacy. And Martha, we don't know where this is going. I just feel it's better to wait."

Martha reached across the table to put her hand on Jim's. "I really don't think you're giving Katherine enough credit. She is a brilliant resilient woman who has managed to endure much more than your wife's passing. I think she can handle just about anything, especially with support from Richard. But you are right, we don't know where this is going, so we can keep it under wraps for a while. However, both our children, as well as my granddaughter, have exceptional detecting skills. Whether we tell them or not, they will figure it out."

* * *

Carl came slowly to consciousness. Exhaustion had finally allowed him to grab a few hours of sleep, but as he awoke he was painfully aware that although his ears had stopped ringing, every fiber of his body still felt the shock from the blast. If while on the call with his father he hadn't heard the static that alerted him to the remote detonation of a bomb, it could have been worse, much worse. But as he had communicated to his mother, he was in a hole. The tiny basement flat had the essentials: food, running water, a toilet, and a cache of currency and weapons, but he had no idea where he he would go next. Whoever had known about the safe house probably had a good idea of whom was there. It was possible that the target of the bomb had been one of the other agents, but Carl had no way of knowing. All his contacts were now questionable. Even sending a word to his mother had been a risk. He dared not chance going beyond the shielded walls of his lair to send another one, or even monitor the news, at least until he was functioning well enough to fend off an attack. On the upside, he had an e-book app on his phone. In hiding, couldn't reach the internet to view or download anything, but he had enough Richard Castle books stored in the phone's memory to stay amused.

* * *

"Hm," Castle wondered, when he and Kate had regained enough strength to wash themselves off and pull on comfortable sweats to replace their discarded Christmas outfits, "how do you think my mother acquired the scent of your father's cologne?"

Kate pulled her drawstring tight. "Well Castle, I'd think that would be obvious. They're seeing each other."

"Yeah, but seeing what parts of each other?" Castle grimaced and gave a little shudder. "I don't want to picture that. The 'ew' factor is just too strong."

"Castle, they clearly don't want either of us to picture it," Kate pointed out. "That's why they're pretending nothing is going on. We can let them have their little charade. It was kind of fun watching Esposito and Lanie try to pull one off a few years ago."

"Yeah, I think when we finally got together after four years, Mother got some kicks watching us try pull one off too," Castle asserted. "She's got to know that she can't get away with it, anymore than we could."

"Castle, if they're uncomfortable telling us about whatever is between them, give them time," Kate counseled. "If they stay together, sooner or later they'll have to come clean. And if they don't, well keeping it quiet might just be easier all around."

"I suppose you're right," Castle conceded, "but even given what I'd rather not know, I kind of like the idea of the two of them together. At least I know that your father won't end up stealing her money like her last ex did, so she won't end up moving back in with us. Right now Lily is the only diva the household needs."

A demand sounded from the monitor. "Castle," Kate agreed, heading for the nursery, "you've certainly got that right."


	66. Chapter 66

Life Goes On

Chapter 66

More centered in mind and body, Belle went through the communications to the studio, intending to to leave a note for the manager about anything that looked interesting or important. Her eyes widened at the note from Alexis. "Must get in touch with Belle Persky re Carl. Urgent." Belle quickly backtracked the path of the message, noting that it did appear as coming from Richard Castle Investigations, as indicated on the form Alexis had filled in. The name struck a chord. First, was Carl's strange fondness for Richard Castle's novels. But more important was the dealings of The Company that she'd caught wind of, concerning Richard Castle and his wife. A connection to Carl was possible. Alexis had left a twenty-four hour number. As she picked up her phone, Belle hoped that accessibility included Christmas.

Alexis had been about to leave the office when the phone rang and immediately transferred to her cell. There was no caller ID, but she answered it anyway. "Alexis Castle, Richard Castle Investigations,"

"Ms. Castle, this is Belle Persky," what do you know about Carl?" the caller demanded.

Alexis began to pace the floor. "Ms. Persky, I know that he's in trouble."

"I didn't need you to tell me that," Belle responded. "What is your interest in him? Why would Richard Castle Investigations be involved?"

Alexis drew a deep breath, not sure how much she could reveal. "Ms. Persky, I have a client who has been searching for a Diana Riggston. He believes that Diana Riggston bore him a child. He made contact with the man that child has become, but something happened, something we know was life threatening. Ms. Persky, we believe that you were Diana Riggston and that our client was in contact with your son. Our client is worried about him, Ms. Persky. He wants to be certain he's all right."

Alexis could hear Belle's exhalation through the phone. "Ms. Castle, we both know we're talking about Carlton Frasier. I have no idea how you managed to trace my son. I can only assume that your own father's contacts with The Company had something to do with it. So I can tell you this much. I have no idea why Carlton Frasier would suddenly be interested in tracking down his son after all these years, but you can inform him that Carl is still alive. That's all I can tell you at this time."

"Thank you Ms. Persky," Alexis responded. "He will be glad to hear it. If I find out anything further, may I contact you?"

There was a moment of silence at the other end as Belle considered Alexis' question. Finally she she decided to take a chance. "Please. I'll send a number to your phone where I can be reached." Belle ended the call.

* * *

Hayley skirted the location of the bomb blast. It wasn't intensely guarded. She spotted only two agents. Other than the agents, the scene was deserted. The public had obviously decided there were better things to do on Christmas than stare at wreckage. Hayley guessed that the two agents present were junior ones who'd been stuck with holiday duty. They hardly seemed enthusiastic about their chore, standing just outside the tape, having conversation and a smoke. She circled around to the back of the ruined safe house and quietly made her way in, seeking out the trap door Declan had mentioned. She found it open in what appeared to have been a kitchen. The stairs leading downward looked shaky but navigable. She carefully made her way to the tunnel beneath. Using a tactical flashlight, she could see the faint tracks Declan had described, and followed them. They eventually led to an outlet on the edge of a small square of green surrounded by houses much in need of paint. She scanned the area. She imagined "Joe" would have exposed himself for the shortest amount of time possible, and having been rocked by the explosion, wouldn't have been able to make it very far. He also would have needed a location as well shielded as possible, implying a refuge below ground. Switching her flashlight to ultra-violet, she aimed it at the dirt at the exit to the tunnel and was rewarded with infinitesimal pinpoints of bluish light. Scanning her own light back and forth, she did her best to pick up a trail. It was faint, almost invisible, especially in the daylight, but she did her best to follow it. The path led to the back door of a ramshackle house. Hayley saw no signs of occupancy and quickly picked the lock. A few more tiny flashes led to another locked door.

This lock was harder to pick, but when Hayley opened it, she found herself facing the muzzle of a gun. "Who the hell are you?" the man holding the gun demanded.

Hayley raised her hands, one still holding her light. "You don't have to be so bloody hostile. I'm not armed. I work for your father. He was afraid you'd been blown up and sent me to find you. Declan Murphy is an old mate. He told me about the trap door and the tunnels, and I traced you here."

Carl didn't lower his gun. "And how the hell did you do that? Declan doesn't know about this place. No one does."

Hayley inclined her head toward her light. "Gypsum dust from broken dry wall. It fluoresces. Old B&E trick for finding a new safe. Look, all your father wanted was assurance that you're all right. I'll leave. My firm can let him know you survived and you can be off anywhere that suits your fancy." Hayley began to back away.

Carl lowered his gun slightly. "Wait a minute. Frasier and I had things to discuss, for one, making sure my mother is taking care of. But right now I can't trust communications with anyone. I'm not even sure of Declan. How can I get in touch with you?"

"Bob's your uncle," Hayley replied reaching into her pocket and pulling out her business card and a pen. She wrote on the back before handing it to Carl. I've given you a secure line and a secure IP address. When you're ready, have at it."

Carl looked at the card and nodded. "Thanks, Ms. Shipton."

"Don't worry," Hayley responded. "Your father will be getting the bill."

* * *

Back in her hotel room, Hayley decided not to wait until Boxing Day. What she had discovered was well worth disturbing Alexis' Christmas. "Hayley!" Alexis responded excitedly to her call. "I have something! I found Diana Riggston, Belle Persky now. She had a message from her son, whose name is Carl by the way. He's alive but in trouble."

"The bloke's alive," Hayley confirmed. "He had a gun on me not an hour ago. He is at sixes and sevens, but he looks capable of getting it sorted. When he does, RCI will be arranging another family reunion."

"Then are you coming back to New York?" Alexis inquired.

"Not yet," Hayley decided, right at that moment. "I'm going to hang around and see if MI-5 comes up with who's actually responsible for that blast. If they weren't after Carl, no problem, but if they were, we may have a job besides reconnecting father and son. I'll be in touch. And Happy Christmas."

"Be careful, Hayley," Alexis cautioned, "and Merry Christmas to you too."

* * *

"Fo," Lily babbled as the cell phone in Castle's hoodie pocket gave out with Alexis' distinctive ring tone.

Castle grinned at her. "You don't get to answer it yet." He swiped to accept the call. "Lonely for your old dad on Christmas already?"

"No. I just heard from Hayley. She's staying in London and I'm worried about what she's doing."

The smile faded from Castle's face.


	67. Chapter 67

Life Goes On

Chapter 67

Hayley had been at the Boar and Hounds for most of Boxing Day. She sipped at a pint and poked at some bangers and mash. With an office not too far away, it was a place where agents and other employees of MI-5 dropped in to hoist one and share a certain camaraderie. The proprietor was retired by disability from the trade, but by long habit regularly swept for listening devices. If business was discussed, it was done with caution, as Hayley and Declan Murphy had, but it was done. Hayley had been trying to pick up some snatch concerning the bombing, but had come to the conclusion that at the moment MI-5 quite possibly knew less than she did.

As usual, a terrorist group had claimed credit, but there was absolutely no indication that one had actually been involved. The explosive device had been too sophisticated and of the wrong sort. There had also been no chatter in any of the usual channels preceding the incident. The agents who'd been killed had been involved in different projects and had few connections with each other, none relating to the terrorist group in question. Intelligence agencies around the world were at a loss to explain what had happened. "Bugger," Hayley muttered into her beer.

* * *

"Castle, what's wrong?" Kate asked, when she found her husband restlessly pacing the great room.

"I'm not sure," Castle replied. "This whole Carlton Frasier case just doesn't feel right. Hayley hasn't been able to uncover anything about the bombing except that the intelligence community is pretty convinced terrorism had nothing to do with it. Alexis hasn't found anything else either, although she has maintained contact with Belle Persky - you know, Diana Riggston's new nom de guerre. There is something going on that we're just not seeing."

"Maybe you're not looking in the right place," Kate suggested.

"How so?" Castle queried.

"Well you have three players in this little drama, right? Alexis has looked at Belle. Hayley has looked at Carl. But what about Frasier himself?" Kate questioned. "You've been taking it on faith that his motives are somehow noble. The man spent more than half his life thinking up new creative weaponry, Castle. Maybe he didn't just want to track down a long lost son and provide for a former mistress. If he'd wanted to do that, he could have done it years ago. You really have no idea what he's after now."

Castle ran a hand over the stubble he'd allowed to grow on his jawline. "You're right. I don't."

* * *

Belle's neck pricked and her gut twisted. She knew the feeling all too well. She couldn't see anyone, but she was being watched, she was sure of it. She had just gone out into the streets of her small California community to quickly pick up a few vegetables. She had no weapon on her, except her own still very able hands and feet. Even if she had, she had no target. She just kept walking, alert for any reflection that might indicate a scope, or any motion at the borders of her vision. But when a small dart was blown from a nearby building, she collapsed to the sidewalk and was quickly drawn inside.

No one saw the unconscious Belle being transferred to the nondescript sedan which took her to an isolated field. No one heard the helicopter land to have her loaded aboard. Belle finally awoke lying on the floor in a bare room. There was nothing to see and nothing to hear. Even the air from the ventilation grate made no sound. Getting herself slowly to her feet, she tried the door but was not surprised to find it locked. Had she had anything to pick the lock with, it wouldn't have helped. When she put her weight against it, she could tell it was barred from the outside. "So you're awake! We can get started." Belle looked around. Obviously there was both a hidden camera and a speaker, but she could spot neither.

The voice was old and raspy, but there was something familiar about the cadence. "Carlton?"

"Very good," the voice confirmed. "I've been waiting for this for a long time."

"Waiting for what?" Belle questioned. "What are you doing? Why am I here?"

"You're here because you are, so to speak, number one on my bucket list," Frazier explained. "When you disappeared, I was hollow. I had nothing but questions and emptiness. You never told me you were pregnant. You never really told me anything except worthless gossip about Hollywood. But I suspected. You had a look you'd never had before, on person or the screen. I was going to propose to you, Diana, but you were gone. I tried to find you, but I didn't have the resources. I've spent much of my life building those resources. I have thousands of patents and billions of dollars. That's how I tracked you down. I was sure you'd stick your head up if I went after our son, and even if you didn't, your loss of him would have been sweet enough revenge. He's still alive Diana. You know that. I've been monitoring all your communications. I and my engineers designed much of the equipment your old pals in the trade use. It wasn't hard to build in weaknesses, back doors. I got Richard Castle Investigations involved knowing they'd have the intelligence contacts to track down Carl. I monitored his terse but adequate communications with you. Then of course there was the other information the Castle people provided. They are very good. I can easily see using them for other projects. But back to what I'm going to do to you. You are going to experience the emptiness, the nothingness that I experienced when you left. Your people know all about sensory deprivation. They've been using it for years. You will be immersed in a dark and lonely world. And in that world, you will go insane or you will die." The room was suddenly pitch black and began to fill with water at exactly body temperature, until Belle could do nothing but float or drown.

* * *

Alexis had tried three times to reach Belle. She didn't have much to communicate. London was so devoid of any type of useful intelligence that Hayley had grudgingly decided to return to the United States to seek out other sources. But at least Alexis could tell Belle there did not appear to have been any other attacks aimed at her son. It made no sense that the concerned mother would not respond. Something was wrong, very wrong. When Hayley returned, they would have to puzzle it out. In the meantime her dad had urged her to look into Carlton Frazier. That would be a huge undertaking. Carlton Frazier was infamous for being one of the world's most private human beings. The people closest to him were all carefully vetted and anyone who let drop even a whisper of personal information about the man was immediately fired and blackballed from any company with which Frazier did business. In essence, betraying Carlton Frazier was an easy path to a life lived out in a cardboard box or a homeless shelter. If Alexis couldn't get confidential information, she would have to start somewhere else: his holdings. There were tales of properties and hideaways everywhere, and where there was property, there were records. Alexis got to work.


	68. Chapter 68

Life Goes On

Chapter 68

Belle had no idea what time it was or even what day it was. Images invaded her consciousness, strange and unintelligible. Then she'd hear her son's voice, see him come out of the darkness surrounded by light and heat. She would shift a little in warm water, trying to touch him, but he was gone, and the darkness returned again.

* * *

Alexis studied the listings of the holdings of the Carlton Frasier Empire. It was beyond huge. It seemed impossible to analyze in weeks, and if Belle was in danger, she most likely had way less time than that. Hayley came through the door of the office, ruffled from travel and dragging her suitcase behind her. "Making any progress?"

Alexis turned the screen so Hayley could see. "Look at all of these. It's impossible."

Hayley shook her head. "This is all bollocks. I heard from Carl. He still can't reach his mother either. I put him in touch with Frazier, but he said the old man sounded really odd. Frazier assured him that Belle would be taken care of, but there was something ominous about the way he said it. Carl is coming back to the states too, as soon as he can. But look, there must be some way to organize this. If Frazier has taken Belle somehow, he'd want a place to stow her with as few people around as possible."

"Yes," Alexis agreed, "a small payroll or no payroll. If he used people, he'd be paying them privately." They scrolled through the listings, steadily eliminating possibilities. "Alright," Alexis declared after a few hours had passed. "We've got it down to five. What else?"

"You know your father is really good at this. We ought to call him," Hayley suggested.

"And Kate can help too," Alexis added.

Kate and Castle arrived with Lily in her stroller. Lily pointed to where she knew the hidden room with her playthings was. Castle triggered the door and they all stepped in and bent over the computer while Lily played. "First you'd need someplace isolated," Castle asserted. "If Frazier is committing villainous acts, he would not want the world to see."

Alexis displayed two possibilities. "We have the lodge in Montana and the mountain chalet in Idaho."

"A mountain chalet," Castle mused. "Does Carlton Frazier actually ski? You wouldn't think a recluse would want to be seen on the slopes."

"Bring up anything you have about his medical history," Kate instructed.

"There is isn't much," Alexis replied in frustration, but here, he was in an automobile accident. It wasn't life threatening, but there were reports that he'd shattered an ankle, and possibly a lot more. Skiing could be a problem."

And a lair on a mountain would make it difficult to approach undetected," Castle noted. "It looks like our best possibility."

"But if he could see someone coming, how could we get to Belle?" Alexis worried.

"We are going to need some help," Hayley announced. "I'll get some of my operatives and when Carl gets here, he can join us. But we'll still need a way up there."

"I did something like that in a book once," Castle recounted. "We need to go in at night in something silent like a glider."

"That's great for a book," Castle," Kate pointed out, "but where are you going to find someone who can do an impossible stunt like that?"

Castle smiled in self-satisfaction. "I've got a guy."

* * *

Dash Lane snorted. "Castle, are you putting me on?"

"This from the miracle flier who soars on the wind?" Castle jibed. "That was your billing last time I checked."

"Castle, that's PR," Dash protested. "I amaze people at airshows."

"Well imagine the PR if you pull this off," Castle argued. "I'll write the story. You'll be on the cover of every aviation magazine and trending on Twitter. You can't buy publicity like that for any price."

Dash's ginger curls flew as he shook his head. "In this case the price could be my life."

"You're over dramatizing," Castle insisted. "If you can't make the run, just find a place to land as close as you can. Your passengers can make their way in on foot."

"Alright Castle," Dash conceded, "but if this goes badly you are responsible for all my funeral expenses."

"Done," Castle agreed. "The flowers will be lovely."

* * *

Castle had rented a large cabin in Idaho at the base of the mountain where Frazier's chalet was situated. A posh charter plane had brought him and Hayley with two of her colleagues, plus Alexis, Carl, Kate, and Lily on her very first flight, complete with all her favorite toys, especially her purple elephant. Lily handed the trip well, with Kate nursing her when the pressure on her ears became uncomfortable. The whole group settled in at their makeshift headquarters and was joined by Dash Lane to formulate their final strategy. Dash would fly as close to the mountain as he could while still avoiding detection, then cut the engine and glide in. It would be highly difficult maneuver, especially in the dark, but Carl had managed to obtain some specialized instrumentation to help Dash pull off the maneuver.

If they left room to retrieve Belle, Dash's touring motor glider could only accommodate four passengers. Hayley, her men, and Carl would comprise the strike team. The Castles would be staying back to monitor any communications they could pick up, and coordinate whatever help might be needed for Belle if she was found. The day was short, with sunset coming at about five P.M. Dash took off a few moments later, ferrying the team toward their goal.

Frazier's chalet was built on a plateau of sorts, with enough flat land for the building and a landing strip for a plane which ferried him and his major domo, Trey Willig back and forth, as well as bringing in supplies and equipment. The landing strip was clear, but nearly invisible from the chalet in the dark. Dash guided his plane in to a surprisingly smooth landing. "You're here, the rest of this insanity is up to you, he told the team. I'll be waiting."

All members of the small force donned night vision goggles and Carl led the approach. The chalet showed few lights. Carl circled to the rear where it was dark. There were several outbuildings along a path which led to a back door. The door was locked and Hayley carefully checked for an alarm system. She was not surprised that it was top of the line and took some time to disable. Once she was sure she'd accomplished her task, she quickly picked the lock and Carl led the way in. He stayed away from the area where the lights had shown the brightest, assuming it would be occupied.

Finally the team found a barred metal door, fully sealed with a rubber gasket. "What the bloody hell is going on in there?" Haley muttered. Carl opened it a crack and water immediately began to seep out.

Carl slammed it shut. "It's a sensory deprivation chamber," he explained grimly. "My people use them for - enhanced interrogation. If my mother is in there, we've got to get her out."

"There must be a control, a drain of some sort," Hayley insisted. "We need to find it."

"Teams of two," Carl instructed. "Stay quiet and try to stay away from occupied areas."

Hayley's men split between her and Carl, with the partnerships communicating via devices deep within their ears. No controls were found within the dark areas of the chalet. Hayley carefully made her way where she could observe a lighted one. There was a control center with a video monitor - and Carlton Frasier stood in front of it.


	69. Chapter 69

Life Goes On

Chapter 69

As Frasier turned and gazed at Hayley in surprise, she shot him with a taser. Pushing his body aside with her foot, she began to examine his control panel."Bugger! Where's the switch to dump the bloody water?" By the time she heard footsteps, Trey Willig had entered the room and her partner had turned a gun on him.

Willig raised his hands. "Look, I can can help you. Mr. Frasier's illness has clearly taken his faculties. I've been trying desperately to convince him to let the woman go. I can drain the chamber if you can get her out of here. "

"Carefully and slowly," Hayley commanded. Willig went to the console and tapped a few key keys. "Carl are you getting this?" Hayley inquired.

The answer came immediately in her ear. "Copy. Going to check the chamber now." Hayley's partner continued to cover Willig while they waited for Carl's report. "The water's out. We've got her. Heading for the plane."

"We've got her," Hayley repeated to Willig. "What about Frasier?"

"If you were thinking of trying to bring him to justice somehow, there's no point. He has only a few days left on his life," Willig confided, "possibly less after shock you've given him. Leave him. I will have his medical team fly in to give him whatever care is needed in his final time, but he will be unable to do more harm."

* * *

A Year's Eve party at the Castle loft was going strong. Kate had invited all the political acquaintances she needed to cultivate. Castle's guests included the authors and staff from Curtis and Strom. Kevin and Jenny Ryan were there as well as Esposito and Maria. Hayley and her colleagues were enjoying a special brew. Victoria Gates had even dropped in with her husband. Martha had opted out, saying she had another party to attend. Jim Beckett had stayed away as well, as he usually did from occasions featuring large amounts of alcohol. Castle wondered if Martha's other party was with his absent father-in-law.

Alexis rocked gently in Kate's chair in the nursery, watching her sister sleep. She was relieved that Belle was well on her way to recovery, but still disturbed by how she had been drawn in by Carlton Frasier. While she still felt that she had found her calling as a detective, she could well understand her father's discomfiture at the ambivalence of the business. At the beginning, a private detective never knew what sort of dark baggage a client might be hiding, and by the time it came to light, it could be too late. The door opened softly and Castle motioned to her to come out. Silently he led the way to his office where Kate was waiting.

Castle locked the door. "I had a Google alert going for any news about Frasier," Castle explained. "I got one a few minutes ago and came in here to check it out on my computer. Watch."

A replay of ZNN news feed began. "Frasier Enterprises is reporting the passing of its founder, Carlton Frasier. No details were given except that Frasier has been fighting a long debilitating illness. No mention was was made as to whom would be taking the reins of the huge Frasier Empire, but we will bring the facts to you as we get them."

Alexis' response came almost in a whisper. "So he's gone. It really is over."

Kate reached out to touch her stepdaughter's arm.

"Are you all right, sweetheart?" Castle asked softly.

"I don't know," Alexis replied. "Ask me in a few days."

* * *

It was three A.M.. The party goers were gone. Lily was unlikely to issue any demands for a few hours at least, and Castle climbed into bed to join Kate. "Any more news about Frasier?" Kate asked.

"Not officially," Castle responded, "but a text came in on the secure line from Carl. He said he had some things to discuss. We'll be setting up a meeting at the RCI office this week."

"What do you think that's about?" Kate wondered.

Castle shrugged. "I have no idea, but right now I would rather enjoy the end of a case, the start of a new year, and most especially the person heating up the sheets next to me."

Kate snuggled into him and her hand wandered downward. "Oh yeah? And what else might be heating up?" Castle pulled her against his growing arousal. "Mmm," Kate purred, "very hot."

"Then let's enjoy the tropics together," Castle murmured. Plunging his hands deep into her hair, he pulled her lips tightly against his own. With Lily in mind, Kate had gone lightly on the champagne, but Castle's tongue's exploration of her mouth was heady. He wanted to taste every part of her. His lips found their way under her gown. His breath caught. "You're not wearing panties!"

"You might almost think I was waiting for you, Babe."

Kate arched as Castle sampled her readiness, grabbing at his neck and feeling the hair he had allowed to lengthen curling with sweat. She writhed as he continued his feast, opening to his hungry caress. He cupped the firm globes of her behind as he supped more deeply. Kate was sure she would go insane as the room blurred around her and she could feel only him. Her body convulsed helplessly, again and again, leaving her weak and breathless.

She reached for him, his readiness almost burning her hand. "Turn about is fair play."

He groaned at the stroking of her fingers. "Kate, please." She slid down his body. Her tongue teased, circling. His large hands grasped her head. "Kate!" She took as much of him as she could, using her hands as well on the sensitive skin of the seat of his masculinity. Castle gasped. "Kate, I need to be inside you." She drew herself up again and straddled him. They were instantly joined. His hands pushed at her gown and undid her bra, to cradle and love her full breasts as she rode. When his release came with a shudder of relief, she matched him, falling against his body, where she lay as she tried to remember how to breathe.

Lily's summons penetrated the monitor as the rays of the sun penetrated the windows of the loft. Kate was still on top of Castle. They had fallen into exhausted slumber together. She pulled herself free and made a very quick stop in the bathroom before going to tend to her daughter. Castle opened his eyes and stretched slowly. After doing the quick clean up he needed as well, he pulled on a robe to go make coffee. There was no necessity to cook. The refrigerator was stuffed with leftovers from the party, including miniature quiches, which would only require a slight warming to serve as breakfast. Castle laid some out to be zapped in the microwave when Kate was ready for breakfast. While he waited, he picked up the newspaper from outside the door. The banner read: "Billionaire Recluse Dies. Rumors of Mystery Heir." Castle scanned through the story. It quoted the press release concerning Carlton Frasier's illness, but then it went on to reference "sources in Frasier Enterprises" as saying there had been an old will naming a heretofore unknown child Frasier had fathered decades before. There was much speculation, but nothing further factually.

"Hmm," Castle speculated as Kate entered the kitchen, "looks like at our meeting, Carl may have a lot to discuss."


	70. Chapter 70

Life Goes On

Chapter 70

Jenny opened the door of the Ryan's apartment to greet Kate and an expectantly squirming Lily. Sarah Grace bounced up and down in excitement at the arrival of the baby and Nicholas toddled across the room towards the rest of the group. Kate put Lily on the toy strewn rug. "Thank you so much for taking her, Jenny. I'd expected to bring Lily to RCI with us, but Alexis was so nervous about the meeting that Castle and I thought it would be better if there weren't any further complications."

"Where is Castle?" Jenny asked as Kate handed over Lily's diaper bag.

Kate shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Circling. There isn't a parking space for blocks. I think everyone from New York must have returned to go back to work at the same time."

"Aren't you going back too?" Jenny queried.

Kate nodded. "My whole staff is back Monday and then I start my next semester at law school the following week. I heard you'll be picking up some time too."

"Uh huh," Jenny confirmed. "Sarah Grace will be at pre-school and Kevin's sister is going to take Nicholas for a few hours. I'm going to be doing some training for new buyers for the KoKo's chain. I'm going help them relate to what clothes and accessories work for the time and money strapped mother. It's not much, but it will take some of the pressure off Kevin. With all the moonlighting he does, it seems like he never stops working."

"I know what you mean," Kate agreed. "Before we were married, when Castle was working with me at the precinct I never realized how much time he had to spend writing when he got home. I was always teasing him about being lazy and he joked about it himself, but the truth was he worked more hours than I did. Now he's working on multiple books, he's still involved with RCI, and he's taking care of Lily at least half the time, but he's so funny and casual about it, no one sees it. I'm hoping this meeting won't take long. I'll probably only be a couple of hours."

"Don't worry about it," Jenny urged. "Sarah Grace loves it when Lily is here. I'll see you whenever."

Kate backed toward the door. "Okay, Thanks again Jenny."

When Kate and Castle arrived at RCI, Alexis and Hayley were already there and Alexis was pacing nervously. "Take it easy, Sweetheart," Castle counseled. "There's nothing to worry about. Carl loves us!"

"I don't know Dad," Alexis confided. "I mean we had that contract with his dad and it just never occurred to me what could..."

The door opened, admitting Carl Persky. He shook hands with everyone. Hayley waved him to a chair in a circle that had been set up and the Castles took their places as well. "First of all," Carl began, "I want to thank you for getting my mother out of my father's hands and I wanted to fill you in on what is happening with Frasier Enterprises and how it affects you. You've probably seen the rumors about my father's will. They are true. The will was written years ago when my father had every intention of eventually finding me and making me his heir. There was a reason my mother fell in love with him. He had been a decent guy. He wasn't always the madman you met. He developed tumors in his lungs and they were putting out hormones of some kind. I don't quite understand how it all worked, but that's what was making him crazy, until it finally killed him. Anyway, he never changed the will. Maybe in his dementia he forgot about it. Under the circumstances, it's doubtful a new one would have stood up in court in any case. The outcome of all of that is control of Frasier Enterprises passes to me. My father made a contract with RCI to continue the use of your services. I am going to honor that, but perhaps not in the same way my father intended to. There are a number of employees - toadies and mercenaries really- that I'll be getting rid of. And I'll be retiring Trey Willig. He was with my father for thirty years. I believe he had my father's best interests at heart and when my father's madness came on, did the best he could to control it. I've left The Company, as much as anyone actually ever does, and I'll be taking on a whole new staff to be running Frasier Enterprises. I'll be needing you to vette them, and then continue to do any other investigations I need. If you're in agreement, you'll be on a regular retainer and I'll have first call on your services, but you will be free to work other cases around whatever you'll be doing for me. Will that be acceptable?"

Castle looked at Alexis and Hayley. He cleared his throat. "Of course we'll have to have our attorney look at any additional paper work, but it sounds acceptable."

Carl rose and extended his hand once again. "Good. Now I'm going to go spend a few days with my mother while things at Frasier settle down. I'll be in touch again very soon."

Carl Persky had barely left the office when Alexis and Hayley grabbed each other's hands and squealed. "Congratulations," Kate offered. "Steady income and steady work for what started out as Castle's gambit to get back to working with me. Pretty sweet!"

Castle grinned at his wife. "I know, right? Who would have believed it?"

Alexis drew a breath, shedding the doubts that had dogged her for days. "And now we don't have to worry about taking on questionable clients. We can choose the cases we want."

"Or maybe some that will make good fodder for a book," Castle added. "I can certainly see pieces of this last popping up in one, in addition to the story I promised to write extolling the extraordinary piloting skills of Cash Lane. Of course, other than Lane's, the names will have to be changed to protect the guilty. "So," he proposed, "How about a celebration lunch? Rumpelstiltskin? They have great high chairs; they look like spinning wheels. Kate and I can pick up Lily and meet you there."

"Only if they have chocolate milkshakes," Hayley bargained, "or dark beer."

Castle laughed. "No beer, but definitely the milkshakes."

* * *

Lily was busy creating a death zone of cracker crumbs around her high chair while the adults chowed down on grilled chicken masquerading as forest game bird. The walls of the restaurant were painted with fairy tale characters and the servers were costumed in fanciful garb. "You know Castle," Kate teased, looking around, "I can remember when a celebration meant Le Cirque or Q3."

"Neither of them serves milkshakes," Castle pointed out, "although I suppose Maddie would have someone whip one up if we asked. But no lads or wenches? Boring! Then there's the added advantage that no reporters from the Post hang out here. You've always hated it when we've been featured on Page Six." Castle waved around the room. "Not gonna happen!"

Kate reached across the table to squeeze his hand."And you're actually happy about it, aren't you Castle, that we don't have to be in the spotlight all the time?"

Castle gazed at his wife and daughters. "I have all the light in my life I need."


	71. Chapter 71

Life Goes On

Chapter 71

Winter had finally given way to Spring, or at least snow and ice had given way to rain, lots of rain. But Castle's enthusiasm could not be dampened. Easter was coming, but more importantly, so was Lily's first birthday. Castle wanted to stage a spectacular. Kate wasn't so sure. With less than two months before the hurricane season, the city was reviewing its emergency protocols and in Kate's mind, they sucked. It had been years since Sandy, but there was still no way to protect the subways other than shutting them down. In any event, if there was another major storm surge, the tunnels would fill with water. The city had no effective evacuation plan and not enough resources to provide for residents who stayed during catastrophic flooding. The La Niňa had cooled 2017 down, but it had dissipated, and even in the absence of a major storm, the heat would be a major headache. People would need safe havens from what were expected to be record temperatures, and brownouts or worse could plunge the city into chaos. Kate and most of the City Council had been trying to come up with coping strategies, with limited success. Kate was also taking her second legal practice workshop and the research and writing involved were considerable. All in all, she favored a small family celebration.

Castle decided to compromise. There would be a big and lively celebration, but nothing except showing up would be required of Kate and very little would be required of him either. He bought out a section of a mega pizza parlor devoted to kid's parties and invited every family with kids that he knew. That put the Ryans front and center, but also included kids of other cops from the Twelfth, children of the employees at the Old Haunt, Esposito's and Maria's extended families, and children and grandchildren of other authors. Martha was there in all her diva glory, instructing characters in furry costumes in the finer points of acting. Jim Beckett was there as well, giving tips to some of the older kids trying out a mini batting cage.

Animatronic figures on a stage sang too loudly and invited the kids to dance. A newly walking Lily waved her arms and moved her whole body to the beat, then demanded to be picked up to continue her dance with big sister Alexis.

Kate became aware of a furor in the section of the restaurant where the music wasn't loud enough to drown out everything else. The other patrons had moved away from windows. Some were even under tables. She caught Castle's eye, then talked directly into his ear. "Babe, something bad is going down. You grab Ryan and I'll grab Espo. We need to find out what's happening."

As Ryan and Esposito pulled out their department issued phones, the situation became clearer. A gunman had invaded the shopping center that held the pizza parlor, as well as many other stores. Several shots had been fired. It was unknown what the gunman wanted or whether anyone had been hurt. There was an unconfirmed report that the gunman was also wearing a suicide vest. Police were moving in and forming their perimeter.

Kate joined the circle as Ryan and Esposito put their heads together with the other cops present, and the store manager. With the actual location of the gunman still unknown, trying to evacuate the restaurant was not an option. It was entirely possible that anyone, even the children, could be picked off in the parking lot. It was decided that everyone would be moved away from the front of the restaurant, with cops carrying off duty weapons stationed at the entrances. But things would be maintained as normally as possible for the kids. That meant the animatronic shows would continue, if at a lower sound level. Food would be served and many of the games would continue to operate. To avoid drawing the kids into a possible danger zone, power would be cut to the attractions closest to a window or door.

The staff was mostly young and scared, but shakily did as they were instructed.

* * *

Brandon Cooper wasn't sure what was happening. He thought his sergeant had sent him out on a mission that morning. Somehow there was a vision of it in his head. He had his gun. He had his flak jacket. But he wasn't sure where the enemy was. It had happened too many times. Areas that were supposed to be safe were strewn with IEDs. Places his team had been told were centers of enemy activity actually held only women and children, people just struggling to get through their day. The enemy was out there. The thought had been pounded into his brain so hard it was impossible to banish it. He just didn't know who they were.

Cooper could see vehicles moving in. They were clearly both armed and armored. Were they his people? He couldn't tell. A voice boomed from a loud speaker telling him to put down his gun and he would not be hurt. The voice was in English, but many of the enemy spoke English too. It proved nothing. He held fast to his gun. He scanned the rooftops for snipers. They were there. They were always there. He saw the flash of a scope and raised his own rifle. He never saw anything else again.

* * *

"We've got the all clear," Esposito announced. "There was only one shooter and he's been taken out. No casualties."

"Thank God," Kate declared. "We should start getting people out of here."

The animated figures sang a final song. The costumed furries waved a muted goodbye and families slowly departed. Castle and Kate quietly gathered up Lily's presents and the remains of a themed cake that had been cut and served before the disturbance began. Lily smiled gleefully as she batted at a helium filled balloon that had been tied to her chair. Kate gazed at her daughter and then at her husband. "She doesn't know anything happened, does she?"

"She knows she had a good time," Castle answered. "Someday she'll hear about the rest. Probably someday too soon. You know it's not like we know what really happened either. We know someone got killed. We don't know why he was here, what drove him to bring a gun to a shopping center. And tomorrow there will be something else to lead the news. His story won't even be interesting anymore. I'd like to know, though. When Lily is old enough to ask, I like to be able to tell her the whole story, not just that there was some nut with a gun and the police shot him."

"Castle, I'd like to know too," Kate agreed. "If we don't know what's behind incidents like this, we don't have a prayer of preventing them. You have all the resources of a pretty well funded RCI these days and we have all our contacts with the N.Y.P.D. and other city agencies. You said you were at a stopping point with Colin while the supervising editor Curtis and Strom goes over the current draft, right? Maybe we can figure out what drove the shooter and you can write it for someone besides Lily."

Castle tucked the boxed cake into one of his ever present canvas bags and nodded slowly. "We can figure it out. And whatever the shooter's story was, I will write it, whether just for Lily or for the entire world."


	72. Chapter 72

Life Goes On

Chapter 72

Castle scanned the file Esposito had, by means best left unrevealed, obtained on Brandon Cooper. The detective had redacted the details of Brandon's military missions, but Castle didn't need them. What he saw was a man who had served five tours of duty honorably. During the last one, Cooper's vehicle had been blown up by an IED. Cooper's injuries were not visible, but his concussion had been severe enough for the army to send him home. His file noted not just aftereffects of the concussion but symptoms of P.T.S.D.. There was nothing after that.

RCI was attempting to gather the names of friends and relatives who might have information on what happened to Brandon after he returned to the United States. Castle was determined to interview as many people who knew Cooper as he could. "God," he muttered to himself, "I'm turning into Rook." But the fictional Rook had been embedded with the military. He had a first hand understanding of battle and a high level of credibility with those who served. Castle had none of that, except for his dreamlike memories of his mission in Thailand. He would need a collaborator who did. Kate had a visceral understanding of P.T.S.D., but was still reluctant to discuss it. After his experience with Loksat, Castle had issues of his own, but they didn't rise to the level that had obviously affected Brandon Cooper. He needed a true member of the band of brothers. Castle thought about all the advisers he'd used during his decades of writing. None of them would quite fit the bill. But he believed he knew a guy who would.

Sergeant Gregory McCutcheon had seen just about everything. He had joined the army straight out of high school, much to the dismay of his family. He had served in Iraq and Afghanistan and been wounded twice before returning to the states to found a non-profit advocating for the rights of veterans. He was also in the process of writing a book for Curtis and Strom. He and Castle had become accidentally acquainted in the waiting room of a center that specialized in treating victims of bullet wounds. They had shared stories of physical therapy and frustration with the lingering effects of injuries. Castle had found McCutcheon to be remarkably good humored about the whole thing, yet deadly serious in his intent to help others through their trials.

* * *

Brandon Cooper had no widow, but he did have an ex-wife, Patricia Berensen. They had divorced after his third tour, but retained a relationship for the sake of their son, Mason. She agreed to sit down with McCutcheon and Castle, but twisted her fingers in her lap and continually wet her lips as she spoke. "Bran was a good man. Our divorce was more my fault than his. I couldn't be the supportive military wife, handling everything at home while my husband was off fighting for God knows what. I needed someone who could be in my life full time. That's why I married Morty. He works nine to five at the office. He's no hero, but he's here. Bran did the best he could. Whenever he was home he spent every minute he could with Mason. They ran together. They played basketball together. They competed to see who could down the most of that oily pizza Fantastic Frank sells. But when Bran came home the last time, he was changed. Sometimes he could barely remember who Mason is. He wouldn't show up when he promised, but then he'd show up unannounced and not remember why he came. Once he showed up with a rifle. He's always owned guns, but he was always incredibly careful about where he stored them and how they were used. This time was different. It was like he was looking for someone to shoot. He scared the shit out of me. After that, I told him to get some help and not come back until he straightened himself out. He showed up a couple of times after that anyway, without a gun. But I wouldn't let him in or near Mason."

"So he had P.T.S.D.." McCutcheon observed gently.

"I'm no doctor," Patricia replied, "but something was seriously wrong with his head. Maybe I could have done something for him. He said things I didn't want to hear. Maybe I should have tried harder to listen, to understand. Maybe he wouldn't have done what he did. Maybe he'd still be alive. But I had to protect our son, you know?"

"I don't think there's anything you could have done that would have made him whole," McCutcheon assured her, taking her hand. "He needed more help than you could possibly have given him. He should have received it."

"Mrs. Berensen, I really appreciate the time you've given us," Castle added, handing her a card with his cell phone number. "If there's anything I can do for you or your son, just let me know."

Patricia tucked the card into the pocket of her slacks."Thank you, Mr. Castle. I will."

"You want to get a hot dog, Cutch?" Castle offered as he and McCutcheon passed a vendor on the way back from the Berensen's apartment to Castle's car.

"Sounds good," Cutch agreed. "Especially if the hot dog guy has brown mustard."

Castle laughed. "You and my wife, you both have to add extra heat to the tube steak. Ooh, that sounded dirtier than I meant." Castle and Cutch leaned against Castle's car to eat frankfurters that were dripping mustard tinged sauerkraut juice onto the pavement. "Patricia Berensen couldn't handle Cooper's absences," Castle reiterated. "Cutch, how did Bebe put up with you being gone all those years?"

"She was just bred for it," Cutch speculated. "Or maybe she just didn't have any false expectations. Her father was in the army. So was her grandfather and two of her brothers. She knew what being a military wife would be like before she married me. She's always been proud to keep up the fight at home and to help other families to do the same. I work with the soldiers when they come home, but she talks to their wives and sometimes to their husbands. She looks at them all like family. My kids understand too. But I think their ambitions are a little more lofty than their non-com old man's. My daughter wants to go to West Point."

"I'm sure she'll do great. I wish her luck," Castle responded.

"You can do more than that," Cutch suggested, "or maybe your wife can. The applicants need a nomination from a senator or a member of Congress. Kate must know someone. She's a politician."

Castle's hot dog caught in his throat. His eyes watered as Cutch pounded him on the back and he swiped a hand across his face to clear the tears from his cheeks. "If Kate heard you call her a politician she'd probably give you another bullet wound - and in the most painful place possible," Castle rasped. "But yes, she does know people and so do I. After Kate put that scumbag Bracken away, his network was no longer controlling politics in the state. Bob Weldon was able to get himself elected to Congress. We're old friends. I'll give him a call. If that doesn't work, I can pull Kate into it."

Cutch balled up the brown stained paper from his hot dog and smugly made a basket in a nearby trashcan. "Thanks Rick, I appreciate it."

"Don't thank me yet," Castle advised. "I have interviews planned with quite a few of Cooper's comrades in arms and I may drag you along on all of them."

Cutch grasped Castle's shoulder. "Rick, I'm sure it will be an honor"


	73. Chapter 73

Life Goes On

Chapter 73

Castle met Kate at her office to pick Lily up. Kate had not had an easy afternoon. She had planned to make a dent in reviewing the latest iteration of the city's disaster plan during Lily's nap, but Lily hadn't taken one. After a short time enjoying the toys in her crib, she loudly protested her confinement. Kate couldn't just put her on the floor and let her play. Her rapidly developed walking skills took her wherever she wanted to go, and that was everywhere. When Castle arrived, Kate was frazzled and hours behind in her work. One look in Kate's eyes and Castle knew they had a problem. "Okay Kate, out with it."

"Castle, I know we agreed that you should do the interviews to write Brandon Cooper's story. But Lily is just so active, so curious, she needs to be watched every minute."

Castle sighed and gazed at the ceiling. "Tell me about it."

"I know you know," Babe. "you've been chasing after her every day. But the loft is set up now so she can explore. My office isn't and I don't think it can be. If you're going to be doing what you were doing today, we need a sitter, and not just a couple of hours here and there from Alexis, someone who can help for as long as it takes you to get this project done."

Castle blew a breath through his lips. "I know. The same thing occurred to me," Castle admitted. "Lily takes after her mother. Once she gets going you can't stop her."

"And she has her father's curiosity and penchant for getting into everything," Kate added.

"True," Castle acknowledged. "Alright, I still want her to be with us as much as possible, but I'll start networking and see whom I can come up with. Whoever it is will have to be thoroughly vetted by RCI."

Kate couldn't help smiling at the mental image of Castle anxiously demanding that Alexis run deep background checks on potential candidates. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Babe, I wouldn't expect anything else."

"Lily fell asleep in the car on the way to the loft. She stayed asleep when Castle unbuckled her from her car seat and continued her slumber when Castle laid her in her crib. "Guess it's tiring driving your mom crazy," Castle murmured as he gazed down at her. "I suppose I'd better get to my work before you wake up to do the same to me."

Castle's first order of business was to make the his promised call to Bob Weldon for Cutch's daughter. "Hey Rick, sure," Weldon agreed. "Always glad to help the family of a vet."

"Speaking of families, Bob, your daughter had a baby a couple of years ago, didn't she?" Castle inquired.

"Cutest kid you've ever seen," Weldon asserted.

"Well as a proud father, obviously I'd have to dispute that," Castle replied, "but I'm looking for a reference to a good sitter."

"Rick, your timing couldn't be better," Weldon declared. "My cousin has a daughter who's working on her masters in early childhood development. She's looking for a one year old as the subject for her independent study. Your Lily is one, isn't she?"

"She is," Castle confirmed doubtfully. "but Lily isn't some guinea pig, Bob."

"Oh no, she wouldn't be," Weldon argued. "Jinx is just going to document the complications that can arise caring for the child of two busy professional parents. That's you and Kate to a tee, right?"

"Wait!" Castle interjected. "Her name is Jinx? That doesn't bode well."

"Rick, relax," Weldon soothed. "Her name is Janiece. Her little brother couldn't pronounce it and ended up calling her Jinx. It stuck. It doesn't mean anything. Look, I'm going to text her your number. Give her a shot, okay? She's a good kid."

"Alright," Castle gave in grudgingly. "Just don't forget about Cutch's daughter. She's a good kid too."

"She'll get her nomination. That's what makes the world go round, Rick. We help each other out." Castle could hear voices in the background. "Gotta go, a contingent of my constituency just arrived," Weldon explained hurriedly. "Catch you later."

* * *

Castle's expectation of Jinx Babcock was not the person who showed up at his door. With her "I Shoot First" space cowboy t-shirt, she looked like someone he might see at Super Novacon. Her hair was streaked with magenta and blue and she wore glittery purple high tops. She charged in the door, extending her hand. "Mr. Castle, I'm so glad to meet you! I just got the latest Derrick Storm Graphic novel. I love it!"

Castle automatically shook the hand she offered. "Thank you Ms. Babcock, but I hope you're not reading it to children."

Jinx rolled her eyes. "No, I keep my reading matter for kids age appropriate," she explained, as to a slightly slow charge. "The books I use are chew resistant and non-toxic in case they stick them in their mouths too. So can I meet Lily?"

"Sure," Castle agreed, silently resolving not to get too far away.

Lily was in her high chair, seeing how far she could pitch the cereal rings Castle had given her as finger food. Her eyes widened at the sight of Jinx's colorful locks. She reached out. "Hay!"

Jinx leaned in so Lily could feel the bright strands. Lily giggled and stuffed part of her snack in Jinx's mouth.

"Mm." Jinx responded appreciatively. "I'm a big fan of circles."

"Cul," Lily repeated.

"I've found that associating shapes with food is a great teaching tool," Jinx remarked to Castle.

"Pity those don't come in squares and triangles," Castle commented. "And I can't handle what masquerades as marshmallows in the shape of hearts, moons, and tiny clovers."

"They do taste awful," Jinx agreed, "along with their teeth rotting capacity. I see Lily has four now." Jinx smoothly held up four fingers as she said the number. But crackers come in all kinds of shapes, starting with your basic square saltine. Fruit can be cut into all kinds of shapes too and used to learn colors as well. Every experience is an opportunity. I see Lily has a training cup. Is she still nursing at all?"

Castle wistfully thought of the generous dimensions of Kate's nursing breasts that had now returned to pre-pregnancy size. "She's fully weaned," he replied. "She loves just about any food she can jam in her mouth, but her pediatrician is limiting her milk intake to sixteen ounces a day to make sure she gets enough iron. She's fine with water. I buy cases of the good stuff. We have a juicer to make fresh juice without all the sugar too."

Jinx nodded approvingly. "Good. So how do you want to do this?"

Alexis had found nothing questionable in Jinx's background check, but dragonflies still flitted in Castle's stomach. "Do you have time now?" he questioned.

Jinx checked her Wonder Woman watch. "I have a meeting with my adviser later, but I have a couple of hours."

"Let's do this then," Castle proposed. He pointed toward the nursery. "Most of Lily's stuff is in there. Her favorite thing is her purple elephant." He pointed again. "I'll be in my office in case you need anything or have any questions. You two hang out for a while and we'll see how you get along."

"That'll work," Jinx agreed.

Castle kept the door of his office open, the monitor on, and his ears alert for any sounds of trouble, while he typed up his note on his interview with Patricia Berensen. Lily giggled a lot but there was not a cry to be heard. Slowly the fluttering insects in Castle's midsection took their leave.


	74. Chapter 74

Life Goes On

Chapter 74

Jinx shooed Castle out the door to pick up Cutch for their next interview. The two men puffed their way up the stairs to Farley Manfort's six floor walk up. "I remember when I could have done this on a run with a full pack," Cutch recalled wistfully."

"I remember when I could have done it pushing a cow." Castle mused before catching Cutch's WTF look. "Never mind. Young and stupid. We've both got our share of scar tissue now. I guess if Manfort has to scale these heights everyday, it keeps him in shape."

The man who opened the door may have been in shape, but he was out of sorts. Despite the annoyance evident on his features, he ushered them in and invited them to sit on a couch that had seen better days. "I was just grading papers," he explained. "Some of these kids don't have a damn clue. I was surprised when I got your call, Sergeant McCutcheon. I haven't seen Bran since his first tour. I left the army as soon as I qualified for benefits to go to school. We exchanged emails for a while, but then I was so busy working on my degree we lost touch. Eyes darkening with frustration, he waved a hand around his shabby apartment. All of that to be a fucking associate instructor. I'd do better flipping burgers. I suppose that would be hard for you to understand, Mr. Castle, as a best selling author."

"I assure you I've occupied my share of rat traps. Actually, a couple of my buddies and I made book on roach races to help buy the groceries. I got lucky. Unfortunately your friend Brandon Cooper didn't. Please tell me what you remember about him," Castle urged.

"I joined up because it was the only way I could fund an education," Manfort confided, "but Bran, he loved the army. He loved having a mission, doing something he thought was important. He loved the camaraderie of it. I don't think he even minded the food. It was his life, his whole mindset. Bran and the army were inseparable."

"How about his wife and son?" Castle questioned.

"He and Pat met in high school and got married just before he joined up. From what I picked up, they hadn't really spent all that much time as husband and wife. And his son hadn't been born yet. It was army all the way," Manfort asserted.

"Did you notice any problems?" Castle inquired. "Did he do anything that would have led you to believe he'd go rogue in any way?"

Manfort shook his head vigorously. "Bron was the farthest thing in the world from rogue. If he was given an order, he followed it, no questions asked. Maybe that was his problem when he came home," Manfort speculated. "You know what I mean, Sergeant McCutcheon? Suddenly there would be no orders, no mission, no routines to follow. A guy like Bron, he would have been lost."

Cutch nodded his understanding.

We won't take any more of your time," Castle said, pushing himself up from the sagging sofa. "Thank you very much for your insights Mr. Manfort. You've helped a lot. I wish you better luck in your academic career."

The trip down the stairs was a lot easier than the upward climb had been, but Castle still drew a couple of deep breaths when he and Cutch left the rundown building that housed Manfort's apartment. "Not exactly the life he'd hoped for," Castle observed. "I saw droppings on the stairs. This place really is a rat trap."

"He's alive," Cutch noted. "That's more than can be said for Brandon Cooper."

* * *

Castle dropped Cutch off at his house in Queens and headed back to Manhattan. Jinx had been with Lily for several hours and he was anxious to check on the home front. He could faintly hear the theme from _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ as he put his key in the door of the loft. Lily was getting her groove on, making her best attempt to follow Jinx's movements to the rousing march. Jinx turned at the sound of the door opening. "You want to join us, Mr. Castle? Lily is getting her proprioceptive stimulation."

Castle was familiar with the word from therapy sessions, but he had never heard it applied to a baby. "You're teaching her balance and agility?"

"I'm sure she thinks we're just dancing," Jinx replied. "But it will help with her development."

"Thanks, I've had my exercise for the day," Castle demurred, recalling the stairs to Manfort's apartment.

Jinx shrugged. "Suit yourself. Getting the body going does get the mind going. It could help you with your writing."

"I'll consider that," Castle responded. "I'm just going to put down my notes from today's interview. Kate has a council meeting, but then she should be coming home. We'll be spending some time with Lily together."

"That's good," Jinx approved, as the music ended. "Want to do Da Bop, Lily?"

"Ba!" Lily babbled happily. Jinx started another lively song.

* * *

Kate had heard enough stupid comments for the day, the month, and the year. She couldn't believe the citizens of New York would elect climate change deniers to lead their government, but they had. There were only a couple, but every time a practical precaution was proposed, they opposed it on the grounds that the severe weather was a fluke and the city had survived just fine for hundreds of years. That led to endless debate. In the end, some measures were approved, but the city could do more, much more. At that point, even the most ridiculous theories Castle had ever put forth seemed saner than what she had heard that afternoon. She gratefully approached the door of the loft, compelled inward by the aromatic siren call of spicy meat sauce.

Castle grinned from the kitchen. "Jinx exhausted Lily, and I mean that in the most wonderful way. Our daughter is sleeping as only a baby can sleep so I decided to make us a grown up meal. I've been airing your favorite red, and it should be ready to drink. Shall a pour you a glass? You look like you could use one."

"You've got that right, Castle," Kate allowed. "I'm just going to look in on Lily for a minute. I could do with seeing a little baby peace."

Castle came around the counter to kiss her gently. "I understand. I'll have it waiting for you."

Kate gazed down at her daughter and gently put her hand on the baby's back to feel the gentle motion of her tiny lungs. She could sense the serenity flowing up her arm and enveloping her in soothing warmth. She had come to understand Castle's protectiveness, both of Alexis and of Lily. There truly was nothing like the love for your child. She hadn't really expected to feel it to the depths that she did. But despite the sleepless nights and the frustration, it was there full force, capable of banishing, at least for a time, the idiocy of the day. Kate just stood and watched for ten minutes before returning to the kitchen. Castle put her wineglass in her hand before dropping pasta into boiling salt water. "Some new political stupidity you want to get off your inspirational chest?" he inquired.

Kate took a sip of her wine before putting her glass on the counter. She wrapped her arms around Castle as he stood at the stove, and rested her head against the firmness of his back. "Babe, I think I'm ready to just let the day go."


	75. Chapter 75

Life Goes On

Chapter 75

The dissenting voices on the City Council had their spirits dampened, but just about everything else steamed, as a major late April heatwave held New York in it's grip. Two power plants had, against advice from climate scientists at several local universities, been shut down for non-essential maintenance. The result was a series of rolling brownouts, and hospital emergency rooms crowded with victims of the heat. The very young and very old were most at risk, but many other residents with a host of medical problems were in peril as well. City services rallied to transport those in need to emergency shelters and render whatever other assistance they could. A multitude of citizens' organizations pitched in as well, distributing water, ice, and in some cases, generators.

Kate was immersed in the crisis, with her staff trying to coordinate services from the disparate groups as best she could. All her people were working overtime and she stayed in her office, grabbing brief periods of rest on her couch.

* * *

With power to the loft limited, Castle had decided to take Lily to the Hamptons, where even if the power faded, there was a cooling breeze from the ocean. He wished Kate could go with them, but there was no way she would leave her post with the city in such distress. Castle had expected nothing else. Alexis was in the middle of an investigation for Frasier Industries and couldn't go either. Neither could Jinx, who was neck deep trying to write a paper. Castle and Lily were on their own.

Castle had bought the beach house when Alexis was a young teen and hadn't been alone there with a baby before. He slathered Lily with the strongest baby sunscreen he could get. He held tightly to her hand as she squealed in delight when the incoming water came over her toes, then spent half an hour making sure every grain of sand was out of the creases on her body. The rhythm of the waves made both of them sleepy and Castle gratefully placed the drowsy baby in her crib before lying down for a nap of his own.

Castle awoke to Lily's complaints and a pounding headache. "Too damn much sun," he muttered to himself wobbling slightly he went to take care of his daughter. Lily was hungry and needed a change. Castle managed to handle both problems, but after putting Lily's favorite pieces of quesadilla and cut up apple on the tray of her high chair, Castle sank into a kitchen chair to rest, finding he had absolutely no interest in food himself. He forced himself out of his chair to retrieve a bottle of ibuprofen from the highest cabinet in the kitchen. He downed three tablets with a bottle of water. By the time Lily finished equal parts of eating and playing with her food, he felt a little better. When she toddled into the toy wonderland that was her beach retreat nursery, Castle just sat in the rocking chair in the corner of the room. He played a few games of peek-a-boo, but otherwise gently rocked himself and watched her pull every plaything from her shelves. When she had finally tired herself out, he got her ready for bed then crawled into his own. Things only got worse for Castle during the night as his stomach lurched and the aches in his muscles rivaled the one in his head.

Castle struggled to wake to a Facetime call from Kate. "Castle, your eyes are almost solid red. You look like hell, or like you've been there," she exclaimed as she regarded his image.

"That's about how I feel," Castle admitted. "Must be some kind of flu. I'll survive. I'm just afraid I'm going to give it to Lily."

"I'm coming out there, Castle," Kate declared.

Castle struggled unsuccessfully to find a comfortable position. "What about the city emergency?" he protested weakly.

"Screw it!" Kate exclaimed. "My staff can handle it for a while. This is a family emergency."

Kate had drove Castle's Ferrari as the fastest way to Long Island. Fortunately for her, most of the morning traffic was going in the other direction and the trip was only ninety minutes. She found her husband gamely trying to keep his head up while Lily dined on cut up bananas and left over tortillas.

"I kept washing my hands while I made her breakfast," Castle explained. "I hope it kept her safe."

Kate touched his cheek. "Babe, you're burning up and you look even worse than you did on the phone. I'll finish taking care of Lily, then I'll drive you both back to the city. I called Jinx. She said she has a couple of hours to spare. She can stay with Lily while I get you to a doctor."

* * *

Castle's doctor had a new associate who was willing to jam him into an emergency slot. Doctor Anita Hernandez was young in years but old in soul. Fighting the odds of her origin in the inner city, she had made it through college with a combination of part time jobs and scholarships. A foundation had paid her way through medical school in exchange for spending at least half her time tending to the indigent. Working in the upscale practice where Castle was a patient supported her while she saw her poorer patients pro bono. She gazed at Castle appraisingly, taking special note of the redness in his eyes. "I have my doubts about this being the flu, Mr. Castle. It's not not flu season and there isn't a strain with your symptoms going around. Have you been anywhere unusual for you, perhaps around rodents?"

Castle tried to think. "No - wait maybe. I was interviewing someone in a building that was in bad shape. There were signs the place had rats."

Hernandez nodded knowingly. "I thought so. I'll do some tests to confirm it, but I believe you have leptospirosis. It's often transmitted by contact with rat urine."

Castle gave a disgusted shudder.

"The good news," Hernandez continued, "is that I can put your fears of passing it to your daughter at rest. It's infectious but not contagious. It isn't caught through touch or through the air. The bad news is if we don't get it under control it could damage your liver or your kidneys. I'm going give you a shot of antibiotics to start treatment right away. Then I'm going to give you a prescription. And I want you to make sure you keep taking it. With this bug, it can look like you're getting better. But if we don't knock it out completely, the disease comes back much worse."

"I'll take the pills. Anything." Castle raised his right hand. "Promise."

On the way back from the doctor's office, Castle closed his fiery eyes as he reclined in the front seat of his sedan. To accommodate Lily's seat and baby gear, Kate had driven the bigger car back from the Hamptons. "I've thought of all kinds of hazards for Rook to encounter when going after a story, but I never thought of this one," Castle confessed. "I may write it into a book sometime. I'd have to make it sound a lot more heroic though."

"Castle you can worry about that later," Kate chided. "Right now I want to get you into bed."

The corners of Castle's mouth pulled into a lopsided smile. "Under other circumstances I'd find that offer irresistibly arousing, but right now I couldn't do justice to your hotness. Too hot myself - in the worst possible way. Rain check?"

Kate reached over to touch his hand. "Sure Babe, always."


	76. Chapter 76

Life Goes On

Chapter 76

Martha's play was dark for the night, so she volunteered to spend the day with Lily and keep an eye on Castle. Kate found herself strangely unenthusiastic about returning to work, but put her trust in her mother-in-law, leaving Castle with the proviso that he should call if anything came up.

Lily was delighted to have her grandmother at the loft, particularly enthralled by the faces Martha referred to as masks, perfected by years of honing her craft. While Lily was amused by his mother, Castle propped himself up in bed, laid his laptop across his thighs, and tried his best to get some work done. The edits had come back on Colin and he had some retooling to do. Power to the city was still on the low end, but the air conditioning system in the loft was working well enough to keep things reasonably comfortable. The cool air helped somewhat to keep him alert.

By coincidence, Jim Beckett dropped by around the lunch hour to spend time with his granddaughter. By further coincidence he came bearing Martha's favorite spicy shrimp as well some fried won ton Lily loved. Lily insisted on toddling into Castle's bedroom to share some of her treat with "Da."

Castle could have done without oil, the smell of which still caused his stomach to rebel, but accepted his daughter's offering with a smile. He put his laptop aside, and helped her climb on the bed with him. Lily explored the springy hair peeking out from the open neck of his pajamas. Castle lightly kissed the fine silk of her baby locks. "You are like your mother. Total fascination with hair. Good thing your father has some of the best in the universe."

"Eh," Lily agreed.

Martha bustled into the room. "That's enough Richard, you're supposed to be resting. That's why I'm here." She picked Lily up. "She is getting big. She'll be tall like her mother."

"Her mother?" Castle repeated. "her father has five inches on her mother."

"And your father has two inches on you," Martha reminded him. "You may have lost a couple of tall genes there. Anyway, it rained and it's cooled down outside and since you seem to be fine here, I'm going to take your daughter shopping. She could use a little more flare in her wardrobe."

Castle recalled the now thankfully outgrown eye-torturing jacket Martha had laid on his daughter. "Mother, she really doesn't need anything." Castle slid down beneath the covers. "And Doctor Hernandez said my fever would still be spiking for a couple of days. I might need something to cool my fevered brow."

Martha regarded her son critically. "You definitely missed out on some of the acting genes. But I promised Katherine I'd keep an eye on you, so Lily and I can go another day. They'll have all the brightest sundresses in the stores as we get closer to summer anyway."

"Great," Castle responded, wondering if he'd thrown his daughter's wardrobe from the frying pan to the fire.

"Well you get your nap. In a weak moment I promised to look at a script for a new play. I can read it out loud to Lily. Knowing the author, it will probably put her to sleep too."

After a couple of calls to double check that neither Hutch nor Manfort was sick, Castle did the best he could to finish the requested changes in Colin. But his eyes blurred, and the rest of his body issued achy protests. Eventually he was forced to take the nap he'd convinced his mother he needed. He woke to the coolness of Kate's fingers softly brushing his neck. "Castle."

His lids lifted slowly. "Hi. Is the city still intact?'

Kate dropped down next to him on the bed. "More or less. It's down to seventy degrees and is supposed to be more springlike for a while, so we're not expecting any more brownouts and the shelters are emptying out. We actually closed the office on time today. My staff really needed the break. They've done a great job."

"Well they had a very able leader," Castle pointed out. "Is Mother still here?"

"She left about thirty seconds after I got here. She said she had a dinner date."

Castle snorted. "The weather isn't the only thing that heated up. Your dad was here for lunch too."

"The relationship seems to be good for both of them," Kate pointed out. "And it's good for Lily to see her grandfather."

"Your father, yes," Castle agreed. "She doesn't need mine. Having one daughter kidnapped was enough."

Kate rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand in comforting circles. "You have a point, but listen, you feel like getting up? I stopped by the Soup Nazi. I got a quart of chicken noodle."

Castle wiggled an eyebrow. "You know I always feel like getting up around you, but the soup sounds good." The animal sounds of one of Lily's newer crib toys emanated from the monitor. "Ooh, our girl is awake. She might like some too. She's been reaching for spoons the last week or so. We could see how she does with one."

* * *

Lily was trying her best to handle her new utensil. There was more savory brew on her bib than was making it into her mouth, but she seemed very proud of her efforts. Also proud, Castle watched his daughter while he inhaled the soothing steam rising from his own bowl. "I think Lily's even faster than Alexis was. I'd have to check her baby book, but I don't think Alexis could handle a spoon until she was fifteen months, maybe sixteen. Of course her fingers were chubbier than Lily's. I think Lily's are long, slim, and extremely deft, like yours."

"I think it's a little early to tell, Castle." Kate put a hand on his pajama clad thigh. "But you've got some pretty great digits yourself."

Castle groaned. "Kate that's not fair. You shouldn't tease the infirm."

Kate slid her hand higher. "Not entirely infirm."

"Kate, that really is cruel, besides, our daughter is watching. Jinx is accelerating Lily's learning curve, but I think it's still a little early for sex education. Alexis didn't really start instructing me until she was twelve. I am going to finish my soup and then I'm going back to bed," Castle declared. "Ooh, that didn't come out right. I'm fever addled."

Kate stuck out the tip of her tongue. It circled her lips with moist enticement. "Is that what you are? Castle, this is my second rain check. I warn you, I fully intend to collect."

"Is that a warning or a promise?"

Kate lightly kissed the warm broth from his lips. "Consider it both."

* * *

It was midnight. Except for an occasional baby snuffle, the monitor was silent. Kate could hear the sounds of late night city traffic returning to normal. Lights that had been turned off to save power now made tiny dots of color on the ceiling and reflected off the shadow box of shells on the wall. She snuggled into Castle's side. His skin was cool. She reached up to feel his forehead. The fever had definitely broken. He stirred at her touch. "Castle." She brushed the bed-mussed hair from his face.

His lashes rose softly over clear eyes. "Mm. Kate."

"Is the merchandise ready for me to redeem for my rain checks?"

Castle took her hand and put it where she could feel for herself. "Ready and eager for you to take it in hand."

Kate pressed herself against the firm flesh of his thigh."Castle that's not the only place I want to take it."

Castle pulled her closer with a jerk. "As far as I'm concerned, this customer is always right."


	77. Chapter 77

Life Goes On

Chapter 77

As Nettie came into her office, Kate looked up from the pile of paperwork on her desk. "So what have we found out about rodent-borne illness in the city?"

"They are reportable illnesses," Nettie replied. "But there haven't been that many reports."

That's good news, right?" Kate queried.

Nettie shrugged. "Maybe. I had our medical consultant talk to your husband's doctor and several others that serve vulnerable populations. They all said the same thing. Your husband was lucky. Most of the time those diseases go mis-diagnosed or under-diagnosed. They don't get proper treatment and they don't get reported. If there are deaths, they get attributed to organ failure or even a bad case of the flu."

Kate nodded. "Yeah, if Castle hadn't seen Doctor Hernandez, that's what we would have assumed he had. So can the cases we have be cross-referenced with our Worst Landlords Watch List?"

"We're working on it," Nettie responded.

"Alright, when we get our most likely targets, let's get some housing inspectors in there," Kate instructed. "This may be one problem we can do something about without having to fight our way through the council."

"Score one for the good guys," Nettie declared and left Kate's office.

* * *

Jinx let herself into the loft and found Castle changing an exuberant Lily. He paired the new diaper with a _Brave_ t-shirt. "Get your paper in all right, Jinx?" Castle inquired.

Jinx was already reaching for a simple puzzle for Lily. "First part of it. The next section is due at the end of the term," she answered. Jinx held up a brightly colored puzzle piece. "Ready to boost your brain power Lily?"

Lily grabbed for the piece. "Po!"

"Well I can see you two have things worked out," Castle offered. He consulted his watch. "I need to pick Cutch up. We have an interview in forty-five minutes. I think this will be a revealing one."

"Wave bye bye to Daddy," Jinx prompted Lily. "Good luck Mr. Castle."

Lily raised her hand. "Ba ba Da Da."

Castle's face split in a grin and he kissed his daughter soundly on the forehead. "I am counting that as a two word sentence using my name. This one goes out in a text to the whole family and everyone on my Baby Fathers list."

Pulling his phone from his pocket, Castle bounced smugly from the room.

* * *

The glee had faded from Castle's face by the time he and Cutch met with Jericho Jordan in a coffee shop in midtown. "I knew Bran pretty well," Jericho related, cupping his coffee mug in large ebony hands. "We served together during his last tour." Jericho shifted in his seat to speak directly to Cutch. "He was good, Sarge, I mean really good, always squared away. He never forgot a piece of equipment or a detail of a mission. But he had a bad feeling about the last one. I guess it was the intuition you develop after serving as long as he did. We were accompanying a convoy transporting supplies. He was in a Humvee ahead of the trucks. The area had been taken days before. It was supposed to be clear. Bran was sure there was something wrong. He said it was just too quiet. But he followed orders. He always followed orders. An enemy fighter was hidden behind some rocks at the side of the road. Before anyone could do anything, he tossed an IED under Bran's vehicle. That bomb was a motherfucker. The Humvee turned over. The first truck in the convoy slammed into it. Bran was hit pretty bad. He was unconscious for days. I didn't see him when he finally woke up, but some of the guys I talked to said he barely knew where he was and sometimes he didn't recognize men he'd served with for months. So the docs decided to ship him home. That was the last I heard - until his picture was in the paper. The reporter called Bran's death unfortunate, but praised the cops because no one else was hurt. Unfortunate!" Jericho repeated, anger flashing in his eyes. "He deserved better than getting shot down by some cop, Sarge. He deserved fucking better."

Cutch and Castle could only nod in silent agreement.

"You're quiet, Castle," Cutch noted as Castle navigated the city streets toward Cutch's home.

Castle brought his palm down hard on the steering wheel. "I'm just trying to figure out why Cooper wasn't in a hospital or a treatment center instead of in a parking lot with a gun. It shouldn't have happened. It just should have happened. We need to talk to someone from the vets group he was working with and try to get some straight information out of the army."

"The first one's easy," Cutch noted. "I can set it up. But getting information out of the army or the veteran's administration, you'll need a hell of a lot of juice for that."

Castle set his jaw. "I might just have it. There's a certain high military official who was kept out of a massive scandal by dint of a very nasty cover-up. Most of the people who know what he did are dead, but Kate and I managed to survive. We can't reveal classified information, or he'll have us tossed in jail. But I can threaten to write something fictional that will be close enough to make people wonder. It might just be enough pressure to break Cooper's case open. And I might not even have to make that threat. There's also the little matter that Kate and I, mostly Kate, are responsible for saving his wife's life. He could just man up and do the right thing."

* * *

Kate and Castle blinked in the early morning light as they emerged from the private plane Castle had chartered for the short hop to DC. They could have taken one of the many shuttle flights, but the time wasted getting through the airport and especially through security, would have been more than their flight time, and they wanted the trip to be as short as possible. General Reed had been replaced as Secretary of Defense when the administration changed, but he still held a high enough post in the Pentagon to get things done. He met with the couple at his home. Mary Elizabeth Reed greeted them warmly and poured tea before quietly leaving the room.

"My wife got all the pleasantries out of the way," Reed stated brusquely." Mr. Castle, you said you needed information on a Brandon Cooper. Ms Beckett, or is it Advocate Beckett? You know I can't give you mission details."

"We're not asking for them General," Castle interjected. "Or at least not combat mission details, The mission I'm interested in is the one this country had, to take care of him once he came home. It failed miserably. He needed help General. He didn't get it. I need to know why. I want to put it out there so the next Brandon Cooper doesn't end up bleeding out on the asphalt from a cop's bullet."

"That is a question best asked of Congress," Reed asserted, "since they're the ones who are supposed to allot the funding for veterans' care. Mr. Castle I am on your side in this and I don't believe you'd find a single person in the military or a military family who wouldn't be. I will see that the information is sent to you. Write your exposé. Every man or woman who has served, or ever will serve this country, will be the better for it."

As they flew back to New York, Castle looked up from his laptop to see Kate's teeth mangling her lower lip. "What's wrong Hon?"

"It's just my old feeling is there again, Castle," she confessed, "that churning in my gut. I'm getting a lot done in the city. I'm helping a lot of people. But if I could reach higher, I could do so much more. I want to do more."

Castle touched a soothing fingertip to the reddening target of Kate's dental assault. "Kate, you're not going to accomplish anything by attacking this luscious mouth. And you are reaching higher, every day. You'll clean up New York and make it through law school. Then you'll take your next leap. If that's to Congress to save our vets, our children, or our planet, you know I'll be beside you all the way."

Kate plunged her fingers into the soft hair at the nape of his neck, pulling the healing power of his lips to her own. "I know you will, Babe. I know you will."


	78. Chapter 78

Life Goes On

Chapter 78

The waiting area of the Veterans Help Center was overflowing and every counseling desk occupied. Director Francis (Oogie) Oglethorpe greeted Cutch warmly, shook hands with Castle and waved both men into his office. "You can see what we're trying to cope with here, and this is a slow day. We were working with Brandon Cooper. He was part of a large group of our soldiers that fell between the cracks. He was treated at a hospital when he came home. Then they decided he could be managed on an outpatient program, but we couldn't get him into one. He couldn't even get an initial appointment. Cooper was in no condition to pursue it on his own. We called the Vets Administration for him every week, sometimes twice a week. We have volunteer counselors, actually almost everyone working here is a volunteer, and they met with him, but he needed much more than that. His P.T.S.D. was bad enough, but he had damage from the concussion he'd suffered that was causing his brain to deteriorate. He needed someone monitoring him every day. We tried our best, but we don't have enough volunteers or enough hours in the day for a job like that.

"I understand," Castle assured him. "Do your people keep logs of the calls they make: when and to whom? If I could use actual facts and figures, the story would be much stronger."

"They do," Oogie confirmed. "When I got Cutch's call I had a file put together." He handed a folder to Castle. "I hope to God you can bring more attention to the problem than we have been able to, Mr. Castle."

Castle's eyes held Oogie's with a determined gaze. "I promise you I will do my best to make that happen, Sir."

After leaving the center, Castle and Cutch crossed the street to a pocket park and by mutual silent consent, sat together on a bench. Castle scanned the information Oogie had given him. "Oglethorpe wasn't kidding. His people were working on Cooper's case harder than a telemarketer trying to sell car warranties."

"And multiply that by all the souls you saw at that center and all the others who will be here every day of the week," Cutch added. "Have you gotten anything from your source?"

Castle shook his head. "nothing except an email saying it's coming soon, but that was early this morning. I'll check again." Castle drew his phone from the pocket of his jacket. "It's in. The attachment is a pretty big PDF. I'm sending it to my printer at home."

"You should get there then," Cutch urged. "You don't need to drop me. I can pick up the subway from here."

"Alright," Castle agreed. "I'll call you when I see what I have."

* * *

After greeting Lily, who was engaged in a game with Jinx, Castle went directly to his office. A sheaf of paper lay on the output tray of his printer. Castle quickly scanned the pages. True to his word, Reed had sent every document the army had generated, relating to Brandon Cooper following his last mission. The paperwork included any certifications that had been sent to the Veterans administration. It confirmed everything Oglethorpe had said. After a quick call to update Cutch, Castle flipped open his laptop and began to write.

Castle was still writing when Kate arrived home. He had taken a quick break while Lily had her lunch, and another one when he and Jinx put Lily down for a nap just prior to the sitter departing for the day. But propelled by their own power, his words forced themselves through the tips of his fingers. From behind his chair, Kate wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "How's it coming, Babe?"

"I don't think I've written this much this fast in my life," Castle confided, continuing to type. "Maybe it's because I don't have to make anything up. I don't think I would make anything like this up. Truth is definitely uglier than fiction."

"Well if you're that caught up in it, I can make dinner," Kate proposed.

Castle glanced at the time in the corner of his screen. "Lily will probably be waking up any minute. She'll want a little Mommy time. And you've been toiling away for the citizens of Gotham all day. Why don't you just order in? Lily really likes those mini drumettes from that new chicken place. Their menu is on the refrigerator. I just need to finish this section and we can all chow down together."

"Sounds good, Babe," Kate agreed.

Lily was happily using both hands and all four teeth to eat her new favorite while Kate dished out more adult fare for herself and Castle. Castle stuck his fork into a pile of cole slaw. "So how went the day's tilt at bureaucratic windmills?"

Kate swallowed a mouthful of potato salad. "Not so much bureaucracy today. Inspectors cited a hundred buildings for rat infestation, most of them on our Worst Landlords Watch List. Our office is sending out letters to all the tenants urging them to seek medical help for any symptoms of rodent borne diseases. We also sent them a list of low cost clinics familiar with treating those types of infections."

"Delightful dinner table conversation," Castle quipped, "but good work. Nice to know my feverish travails were not in vain."

"Da da," Lily called, holding out one of her drumettes.

"Is she still trying to feed you?" Kate asked.

"Not just me. It's practically the first thing she did with Jinx. But she's only tried with things that are actually edible; clear and comforting evidence that she does not take after my mother." Castle took the drumette and mimed taking a bite before handing it back to his giggling daughter. "Last time Alexis was here, Lily tried to push a cracker into her mouth too. Maybe she'll grow up to be a master chef."

Furrows bracketed the bridge of Kate's nose. "She's never tried to feed me."

"She'll get around to it," Castle comforted.

Lily held out her chicken again. "Ma."

The lines on Kate's face reformed into a grin as Castle smiled knowingly. She pretended to nibble. "Mm. Thank you Lily, that was delicious."

"Ee," Lily responded.

"See Mommy. You haven't been left out. And she's getting quite a vocabulary," Castle noted, his chest expanding proudly against the buttons of his shirt.

"She's more articulate than some of the members of the council," Kate asserted.

Castle feigned offense. "Surely you are not comparing our daughter to them! She is a budding wordsmith, not a troglodyte."

"Hm, a wordsmith and a master chef. Anything else?" Kate teased.

"One heck of a dancer," Castle added, "but check back tomorrow. She might just be the second one in the family to put out a great American novel."

Kate's eyes widened in excitement. "So Curtis and Strom has set a release date for _Colin_?"

"They're renaming it _Colin's Pen_ , because there is a book out there about a Colin who's a serial killer, but yes," Castle confirmed. "I got the notice this afternoon. I was so caught up in the Branford Cooper project I barely had time to give it any thought. They're talking about a Fall release so they can push sales for Black Friday and Cyber Monday."

"Does that mean a bunch of book signings during the holidays?" Kate worried.

"Probably some," Castle admitted. "And some interviews too. But they know that holiday time with the family is sacred to me. It's a long way off, but there is no way I'm going to let _Colin's Pen_ or any other book sabotage Christmas or my time with you, Lily, and the rest of our crazy family."

"The crazy is all on your side." Kate alleged.

Castle raised an eyebrow. "Aunt Teresa?"

"Point taken," Kate acknowledged. "But Castle, selling literature won't be like selling Derrick Storm or Nikki Heat. You're going to have a very different audience to convince, one that has never taken you seriously. It may take some real effort to sell the new book."

"Kate, I think it will sell fine. If nothing else, people will be curious to see the pulp writer clown make a fool of himself. I'm just hoping to give them one hell of a surprise."

Kate stroked his cheek. "Castle, since the day I walked into your book party, there have been nothing but surprises."


	79. Chapter 79

Life Goes On

Chapter 79

Castle's chronicle of Brandon Cooper exploded from the pages of The Ledger into national syndication and burned through the world wide web. Politicians immediately took to the airwaves to confirm their support for the "men and women who served so bravely," and more importantly, Bob Weldon proposed legislation. Weldon and Castle made the rounds of the TV news show panels and the talk radio shows, often accompanied by Cutch. Oogie and representatives from other veterans groups made appearances as well, goading an inertial Congress into action. The Veteran's Affairs Committee held hearings for which C-Span actually received measurable ratings. Finally a bill passed both houses and was signed into law by the president, providing funding to smooth the challenging path veterans needed to navigate to obtain services, and also to provide for emergency intervention.

Castle's star rose, with talk of a Pulitzer, but so did Bob Weldon's. The former mayor began to revive the dream cruelly derailed by William Bracken's political machine, that of running for governor of New York. But he wanted to make sure he would be leaving his district in good hands. He would need a replacement in Congress who would continue to fight for the needs of New Yorkers. One name came prominently to mind.

Castle came into the bedroom just as Kate was ending a call on her cell phone, and noted the look of shock on her face. "Hon, what happened? Another cataclysm hit the city?"

Kate absently stuffed her phone back in her pocket. "Not the city, just me. That was Bob Weldon. He's relaunching his campaign for governor and he wants to set me up to take his seat in Congress."

"Well that's wanted you want, isn't it?" Castle asked. "To move up? To be able to do more?"

"Yeah Babe, but I wasn't looking at it all happening that soon or that way. I was thinking of two terms as Advocate and trying to get through law school. Columbia won't let me take that long. I'll have to finish somewhere else that will. Lily would be older when I graduate. What Bob's proposing could all happen in about three years. I might barely finish one term. Bob would be endorsing me to fill the seat he'd vacate. He thinks with the high profile I have, I shouldn't have any trouble getting elected. The candidate would have to live in his district, but we already do."

"Kate, you know I'll support whatever you decide to do, but what about law school? Could you do the job without finishing?" Castle questioned. "What about the time you'll have to spend in DC? I know representatives spend a lot of time in their home districts, but still. Are you sure you want to go for this so soon?"

"No I'm not sure, I'm not sure at all," Kate confessed. "I need to think this through. I jumped at the job for the AG in DC and that was a disaster. Then I took the job as captain mostly because I passed the exam and the position was there when Gates got promoted. That didn't work out as well as I'd hoped either. So this time I really want to consider all the angles. Weldon is just getting his exploratory committee going. He doesn't need an answer right now. He just wants me to think about it. And there's so much stuff happening for you now. Isn't _Colin's Pen_ coming out soon?"

"In two weeks," Castle confirmed. "That will give us a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving to publicize it before the shoppers seriously descend. Since I've become so visible in the broadcast media, the PR's going to mostly be there, with fewer book signings. It should be easier, really. I can do a lot of the radio stuff by phone and prerecord some of the interviews. Even so, I'm really glad Jinx will be continuing to work with Lily."

"With Lily being the subject of her thesis, it works for everyone," Kate agreed. "Our daughter will follow the Castle tradition of appearing in print."

"Fame does run in the family," Castle remarked. "Mother is burning up the boards on Broadway. But Jinx is disguising Lily in what she writes, at my request. She's just going to use initials and they won't be Lily's initials. Our friends and family will know, obviously, but Lily won't be exposed to the world, not even the academic world. There will be plenty of time for her to make her mark later."

"I should have known Castle. Your head exploded when Alexis started her video blog, and she was in college."

"Hey, as you recall, I was right," Castle pointed out. "Volkov's goons used what Alexis revealed on that vlog to grab her. There is such a thing as too much information."

Kate put a hand to her forehead feigning a swoon. "Words I never thought I'd hear from Richard Castle."

"The point is, our lives are public, but we chose that as adults," Castle insisted. Kate raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Hey, I'm only part kid," he protested. "But anyway, I think Lily should be kept out of the public eye and off the web until she is mature enough to reasonably decide for herself what she wants to put out there. And it'll probably still make me nervous."

Kate wrapped her arms around him. "And that's one of the things I love most about you, whatever happens, your first thought is always for your family."

"There is one family member who's particularly on my, um, mind right now," Castle murmured, pulling her closer.

Kate's mouth turned up saucily. "I can tell, Castle, but that's not your mind."

"Let's say it has a mind of its own," Castle proposed. "And right now it's totally one track."

Kate stared at his lips, moistening her own. "Lily is having a play date with Sarah Grace and Nicholas. Loney Whittaker is over at the Ryan's place too."

"Gotta respect a couple who names their daughter after a superhero," Castle commented.

"My point is, Castle, Lily is probably having a blast and we won't have to pick her up for at least an hour."

Castle began to unbutton Kate's blouse. "I think our minds are on the same track."

Kate grabbed two healthy handfuls of his glutes. "I'm sure of it."

Their mouths collided, tongues seeking their partners. Heat burned through their clothes and they tumbled to the bed entwined. Castle yanked Kate's blouse open and reached for the clasp of her bra. Kate pulled away. "Do you hear that?"

"Whatever it is, ignore it," Castle grunted.

No Castle, it's water. It's coming from Lily's bathroom."

Castle groaned, getting up. "I'll go check."

Kate followed as Castle found water sloshing to the bathroom floor from inside the vanity. Castle opened the doors and was greeted by an immediate gush, soaking his pants. "Son of a …!" He turned the shut-off valve. "Connection to the faucet came loose. Lily was exploring in there. She must have pulled on something and loosened it. I can tighten it up. All I need is wrench."

"Very domestic, Castle," Kate commented.

"Not domestic," Castle retorted. "Survival. I did live in my share of student hovels. And you mock me for watching all those episodes of MacGyver. It has come in handy. I have tools in my office."

Castle made the repair and he and Kate began the job of getting the water off the floor. By the time they finished, they only had time to change into dry clothes before they needed to go pick up their daughter. "You know, Castle remarked as they headed for the car, "in about six months that flood is going to make a very funny story. Not so much now."

"Cheer up Castle. Lily's been playing her little heart out at the Ryans' place. I bet she'll sleep really well tonight. And just because she's sleeping, doesn't mean we have to."

"True, very true," Castle agreed. "In that case, Kate, how about a play date with me?"

"Castle," Kate replied. "I wouldn't miss it."


	80. Chapter 80

Life Goes On

Chapter 80

Castle had rarely been so excited about Halloween, and that was saying something. He had gone through multiple iterations of a costume for Lily, trying to determine what would suit her best. He abandoned all the warrior princesses and Disney princesses, deciding that the personalities just didn't fit his daughter. In the end, he decided to abandon humans altogether and go with Lily's multi-generational love of elephants and purple. Castle engaged a hungry design student from Parsons to make Lily into the cutest purple elephant the world had ever seen, also one of the two cutest candy beards.

The Halloween party at the loft would be bigger and better than ever, but with a purpose. Not only were costumes mandatory, but attendees were required to show up with donations for the local food pantry. Each can of food was good for a drink ticket at a bar manned by Brian, Castle's bartender from The Old Haunt. The party wouldn't begin until after dark, giving Castle time to take Lily trick or treating in the neighborhood.

Special guest, Louis Crampton, had crafted a ghostly romantic tale for the occasion. Castle had set up a special reading area in one corner, with Crampton on an elevated throne, and folding chairs for the guests. Crampton ascended his throne, but after a coughing fit brought on by Fall allergies, asked Castle if he'd do the reading instead. Castle took his place and the seductive lure of his voice flowed over the room.

"Burleigh Sitwell didn't leave his home much. In fact he didn't leave his home at all. His earth covered dwelling maintained a steady temperature of sixty degrees all year. He was absolutely comfortable in his favorite, if fraying, cardigan sweater. He had no wish to brave heat or cold outside. He wasn't enamored of most people either, finding them loud and intrusive. He grew a lot of his own food in his hydroponic garden and what other groceries he needed were delivered weekly and placed in his airlock. Anything else he required, he ordered online. He wasn't lonely. In his mind, he had the robots he wrote about to keep him company. And then there was Martin.

"Martin had shown up when the house was being excavated. His brother had murdered him over the love of Priscilla Campbell in 1857 and he had been buried in an unmarked grave. His spirit had been tied to the barren ground ever since. He had no idea why, he just knew that somehow, there was something required to free him.

"Martin's brother George had been skilled with a sword and quick with a whip. He was also a master horseman, guiding his steed through the family's fields each day, assuring the slaves would not slack in producing the maximum yield. Martin could barely manage a mount. He preferred to stay close to the manse. He had his own garden, where he experimented to produce better crops, more resistant to the elements. And Martin wrote poetry. His verses spoke not of brave heroes and battles fought, but rather of longing and unfulfilled passion.

"George considered his brother useless, except perhaps to amuse the occasional female party guest, but Priscilla was much more than amused. The daughter of a neighboring landowner, it was assumed that she and George would make a match, with an eye toward the merging of the Hampton and Campbell holdings. Priscilla was everything George wanted. Her breasts were bountiful, her waist small, and her hair thick. And she had all her teeth. But Priscilla wanted no part of George. She was drawn to the romantic soul of Martin. The Hamptons and Campbells came to the reluctant conclusion that the combining of estates could go forward with Martin as well as with George and a wedding date was set.

"As preparations were made, George grew angrier and angrier that through his foolish writings Martin would have the woman that should have been his. One twilight he lured Martin to his little garden with a promise to discuss the use of Martin's discoveries for the next planting. Unseen in the rapidly darkening gloom, George drew his sword and ran his brother through. George heedlessly threw Martin over the back of his horse. He bore him to a lonely spot at the base of a hill, too shaded for anything to grow, and buried him there. It was almost the very spot where centuries later Burleigh's home had been hollowed out of the rock and soil.

"Martin was not an unpleasant companion for Burleigh. He spent much of his time perusing Burleigh's considerable collection of the classics, and recited his verses over Burleigh's plants. The plants flourished and Burleigh had no complaints, but Martin was increasingly in despair, pining for Priscilla and wondering what had become of her. Dismayed by the spirit's distress, Burleigh decided to tutor the ghostly presence in the use of modern search engines, to aid him in discovering the fate of his lost love.

"Martin discovered that Priscilla had somehow been bent to the will of the Campbells and been forced to marry George. A few years later, George had been killed in the Civil War, leaving Priscilla with one child, a son named Ashley. The lands of the Campbells and the Hamptons were raided for supplies and burned by Union soldiers. Priscilla and Ashley were left almost destitute, living in a tiny cabin that had been part of the slave quarters. What money they had, Priscilla obtained by selling her jewelry. After years passed, she was forced to part in agony with her very last piece, a gold bracelet Martin had given her, engraved to proclaim their love. When Ashley was sixteen, Priscilla died of a broken spirit and a broken heart. After burying his mother near their ramshackle home, the boy moved north to in New York. He became a fisherman, and settled in a small seaside village.

"At the memory of the gift he'd given to Priscilla, Martin began to sense a spirit nearby, bound to the land as he was, but also connected by an unbreakable bond of shared passion. The bracelet, the bracelet was the key. Martin searched for it, day after day, viewing thousands of images of vintage jewelry. Finally he discovered it as part of a lot presented for sale to the highest bidder on Ebay. Day and night he begged Burleigh to put in a bid, to release him to join his lost love. Burleigh couldn't understand, having never experienced that depth of emotion himself, but Martin's pleas were unceasing. It would take the earnings of several of Burleigh's stories, but he put in a bid high enough to win the auction.

"Martin existed in a frenzy until Burleigh's purchases were delivered, murmuring paeans to Priscilla over every tomato, squash, and head of lettuce. Finally Burleigh retrieved the package from the airlock and Martin sorted through the trinkets. As soon as he touched the band of gold he'd so lovingly gifted to his bride to be, a glow filled the room. The temperature rose, causing Burleigh to shed his ever present sweater. Priscilla shimmered in the air, reaching out to Martin. Energy sizzled as their fingers touched. Their incarnations became insubstantial, merging with the light that had filled the chamber and rising through the earthen roof, disappearing at last with a shower of golden sparks that surrounded Burleigh. The solitary man could feel a warmth infusing his blood and a joy infusing a soul he'd been unaware inhabited his body.

"He rushed to his keyboard, the words flowing unbidden through his fingers. Two new characters were created in his robotic universe, Priscilla and Martin - and they were in love."

Castle gazed down at the unexpected moisture on Kate's face and made a mental note to himself. His Christmas list would include the purple gemstones Kate loved, but they would be embedded in a soul binding circlet of gold.


	81. Chapter 81

Life Goes On

Chapter 81

The days were galloping across the calendar toward Thanksgiving and Castle wasn't ready. Though he got a high that he hadn't felt in a long time from his promotional appearances for _Colin's Pen,_ they had taken more of his time than he had anticipated. He had ordered a fresh turkey instead of a frozen one, eliminating the time required for thawing. But that also meant that he would have to make the trip to the butcher to pick it up, very close to the time he would actually need it. Jinx was spending the holidays at a Weldon extended family gathering, so Castle made the trek with Lily in her heavy duty stroller, which came equipped with a basket. As an additional complication, his daughter was also in the midst of potty training and the public had become very nervous about men taking little girls to restrooms. Castle made sure Lily went before they left the loft. He also took care that outings with her were of short duration, unless he knew there would be a trustworthy woman handy to help Lily if she needed a ladies room.

The walk to the butcher shop was only four blocks, but a wind had kicked up and by the time Castle arrived he was glad to be inside and even appreciative of the heat generated by the considerable crowd. Several women gave him a look of recognition and gushed over Lily's cuteness as a device to start a conversation with him. Castle was pleased that his latest publicity blitz appeared to be successful, but at the same time was anxious to get home before the temperature fell further and the threatening clouds decided to dump a load of white flakes. He had no such luck. The snow began just as he stepped from the shop. Lily was protected by the canopy of her stroller, but Castle was thoroughly coated by the time he reached the building that housed his loft. Lily thought the whole experience exciting, reaching for the accumulation on his coat, trying to stick the frozen crystals in her mouth.

Castle immediately discouraged her. New York snow was a lot cleaner than it had been when Kim Carnes famously sang about it, but Castle still had serious doubts about its consumption by his daughter. When they reached the loft, he offered ice cream instead, to keep her busy while he organized his notes for the upcoming feast.

The turkey was huge. That would mean lots of easily reheatable leftovers for the weekend, but Castle knew he'd have to wake up even before Lily did, to get it in the oven. He would also need to prick all the chestnuts before roasting them and he had to do it while Lily was asleep or distracted. She observed everything he did and tried to copy it. The thought of the toddler trying to steal a knife to stick its point in something, sent a terrified shudder through his soul. He couldn't take even the slightest chance that it would happen.

Alexis would be handling dessert and Jim Beckett would be bringing his corn casserole - again. That still left the stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, relishes, salad, green bean casserole, and appetizers. Kate would be working up to the last minute so that her staff could take a full four day weekend. He could count on her for the salad and the relishes, but the rest was on him. He had given a quick thought to asking Martha to contribute, but dismissed the idea even more quickly. As the second chapter of her stage career had blossomed, what culinary skills she had possessed had withered on the vine. He'd done a sumptuous Thanksgiving spread before, just not with a precocious, orally obsessed, nineteen month old running around. At least putting in a wall oven had assured she wouldn't try to put her hands or her mouth on the roasting turkey. Castle was coming to understand why the night before Thanksgiving was the biggest night of the year for pizza delivery. He didn't need another meal to think about.

* * *

As Thanksgiving Day arrived, snow continued to blanket the city. What might have been a minor annoyance to many northern cities threw New Yorkers into a panic. Traffic slowed to a crawl, the subways were jammed and cabs pulled a disappearing act. Alexis stomped the snow off her boots before she came through the door of the loft. "Dad, you wouldn't believe it out there. It's a good thing I took the train. It takes an hour to get twenty blocks."

Castle took a pie carrier from her arms. "Well at least you got here. We're still waiting for your grandmother and for Jim Beckett. Kate's on the phone trying to get extra shelters opened up. If you could keep an eye on your sister, I would be eternally grateful." Alexis didn't have time to reply, as Lily immediately launched herself at her legs. Alexis scooped her up and headed for the massive toy cache in the nursery.

* * *

The turkey had been roasted and rested, and the canapes consumed, but there was no sign of Martha or Jim. Calls to their cellphones went to voice mail. Kate rushed in from Castle's office, where she'd been in touch with services around the city. "The power to the third rail in some parts of the subway system has gone out. Some of the trains are stuck. Martha and my dad could be on them."

Castle desperately wanted to curse, but Lily heard and repeated everything. He kept it to a moderately clean, "Darn!"

* * *

Martha pressed her head into Jim Beckett's shoulder in the darkened train. Faint blue lights kept the passengers from total blackness, but the overall effect was disquieting. There was almost no room to move and even with the adaptation of most New Yorkers to diminished personal space, it was uncomfortable. "How long do think it will take for them to get us out of here?" Martha wondered.

"No way to tell," Jim replied. "But I have no doubt that Katie knows what happened."

"Is that good or bad?" Martha questioned. "The children will have an idea where we are, but that won't necessarily make them any less worried."

Jim gave a wry smile. "Compared to some of the things Rick and Katie have been through, this would be a piece of cake. But even if they are worried, there's nothing we can do about it except look forward to a good meal when we get there."

Martha grimaced. "I wish you hadn't said that, Jim. You know I've been fasting to prepare for this. I don't have room in my costumes for any extra pounds. I'm starving."

We do have my casserole," Jim offered, "and I do have a fork and spoon on my Swiss army knife."

"I suppose that's the New York version of roughing it. I'm in." Martha agreed.

As the sweet aroma of the casserole drifted through the car, other passengers started unwrapping food that had been destined for a Thanksgiving dinner. One passenger even had a package of plastic flatware, and another, paper plates, allowing various offerings, including Jim's casserole, to be shared. Finally the lights came on and the voice over the P.A. crackled that the train would be moving again.

* * *

To the relief of the rest of the family, Jim and Martha made their belated appearance at the loft. Jim apologized for the lack of the casserole, explaining about the impromptu meal underground.

Castle listened with fascination. "New Yorkers coming together to cooperate on Thanksgiving!" he exclaimed. "That's almost as good a story as the original. Better even, because it's truth, not sanitized mythology. I've got to use it in a book!"

"That's fine, Kiddo," Martha noted. "But from what I see, no one's had any mythological turkey yet. Maybe you should get on with it."

"Tookey!" Lily repeated waving her arms like wings.

Castle grinned at his younger daughter. "Coming right up!"


	82. Chapter 82

Life Goes On

Chapter 82

Sales of _Colin's Pen_ were exceeding all projections. Curtis and Strom was ecstatic and Castle's agent breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Extra book signings had been scheduled. Excited as Castle was by the adulation he was garnering for his foray into literature, his popularity was becoming wearing. He wanted time to initiate Lily into Castle Christmas practices and savor every moment while she enjoyed them. There just didn't seem to be enough hours in the day.

Finished with a signing at a suburban mall, Castle wrapped a scarf around his recognizable jaw, pulled a hat low on his face and scoured the stores for treasures to bring delight when dumped out of Christmas stockings. He didn't have much luck. The offerings all looked the same as they had at every other mall. Disgusted, he began the drive back to the loft to relieve Jinx.

He was frustrated by a car that had suddenly slowed before him, wondering if the driver was paying more attention to a cell phone than to the road. It soon became apparent that was not the case, as the car limped to the shoulder. Castle could see white hair under the flamboyant hat of the driver. He pulled ahead of her on the gravel surface and walked back to offer what help he could.

The driver had already raised the hood, releasing an ominous plume of dark smoke. She stared at it in consternation and was startled when Castle came up behind her. "Just here to help, he reassured her. "Reception on this road can be spotty. If you can't call for help, I have a satellite phone you can use in my car. It can reach anywhere."

The woman stared at him, recognition glinting in her eyes. "You're Richard Castle. I saw you on Bookbeat last week."

"Guilty as charged," Castle acknowledged. "So now that we've established I'm not a desperate criminal, you want to make a call?"

The stranded driver shook her head, the rim of her hat flapping. Unless someone can arrive in the next thirty seconds or so, it won't help. I have an urgent appointment soon I can't afford to miss."

"Where?" Castle inquired.

"Court," she replied grimly. "In lower Manhattan."

"I'm going that way. I can take you," Castle offered. "Someone can come for your car later."

"I haven't hitched since I was sixteen," The woman confessed. "But given the circumstances, I accept. I suppose if you're going to transport me, I should introduce myself. I'm Mildred Anderson."

"Glad to meet you, Mildred," Castle responded. Castle ushered Mildred into the passenger seat of his sedan. Mildred was silent but fidgety as Castle steered the car toward the city. "Mildred, as a writer I'm incorrigibly nosy. What's so urgent in court?"

"My grandson," Mildred explained. "His parents have gone insane. My daughter and her husband are convinced they can punish him out of his condition. In essence they're torturing him for something he can't help. I need to get him away from them."

"What condition?" Castle inquired.

"He has Tourettes," Mildred replied. "He spews curses. He doesn't want to, but he can't help it. He has a solid diagnosis, from three different neurologists. But my daughter Judith and my son-in-law Justin have convinced themselves there's nothing physically wrong with him, that he just needs discipline. So they paddle him and confine him to his room whenever he says anything that upsets them. It doesn't work, of course. I'm suing for custody to put a stop to it." Mildred consulted her watch for the fifth time. "My lawyer is supposed to meet me in the courtroom, but if I don't show up on time, the case could be dismissed. We only have about twenty minutes."

"We'll make it," Castle declared, wishing he was driving his Ferrari.

Castle wove expertly through traffic, stopping as close to the courthouse as he could, with several minutes to spare. Mildred thanked him hurriedly as she shoved the passenger door open. "Let me know how it went," Castle requested, quickly scribbling his cell number in his pocket notebook. He ripped the page loose and handed it to her before she rushed away.

As Castle drove the short distance to the loft, an idea percolated through his mind. He would write about a boy who was different. His protagonist would be as misunderstood as Mildred's grandson, but in the opposite direction. For much of his early life, or perhaps all his life, he would be silent. Ideas hit Castle at a dizzying rate, until when parked in the garage beneath his building, he pulled out his notebook to jot them down before heading upstairs to the Castle loft.

Jinx looked up at his entry. "Oh, Mr. Castle, I wasn't sure when you'd be back. Lily and I are in the middle of a new exercise. We're matching pieces of fruit to shapes and colors. Then she gets to eat them as a reward when she makes a good match. She's very motivated by strawberries."

Lily extended her arms to be picked up. "Da da!" Castle obliged, kissing her dark toddler hair.

"Like her mother," Castle murmured to himself, a smile rising to his lips. He set Lily down in a toddler sized chair at the table where she was working with Jinx. "That sounds great. I have a new story I want to work on anyway. So just let me know when you're ready to leave."

"Will do, Mr. Castle," Jinx agreed.

Castle dropped into his desk chair and flipped open his laptop. His knew his new protagonist, Sammy, would hardly be autobiographical, or at least not in the classic sense. When Castle was a child, his mother and most especially the assortment of strange women Martha had engaged as his caretakers, had despaired that the boy would never shut up. Of course that only made him want to talk more. But as much as young Ricky had talked, he had shared little of what was actually on his mind, preferring to weave tales of adventure and mayhem. In that way, Sammy was an aspect of Castle, his thoughts and feelings often hidden behind a clown mask, even as the world was convinced they were plainly on his sleeve.

Castle soon found that Sammy's early years required a lot of research. He determined what sorts of doctors the boy would have been taken to and what sorts of tests would have been performed. So deeply was he absorbed, that Jinx had to rap loudly on the door frame of his office to get his attention."I'll be leaving now, Mr. Castle. Lily's in her crib, but she's not asleep yet. She's playing with her animal squawkers."

Castle nodded. Squeaks, yips, and brays emanated from the nursery monitor, followed by happy squeals.. "I can hear."

"She'll probably sleep pretty soon," Jinx suggested. "She had a pretty busy afternoon. She asked to go potty three times too. There wasn't even a drip in her pull-ups. She could easily go to training pants."

"Hmm," I wonder if they make them in purple," Castle mused. "I'll have to look into that. Anyway, thanks Jinx. You have a good evening."

After Jinx left. Castle settled back in his chair listening to the sounds drifting from the speaker, until it was finally quiet. Stretching the kinks from his muscles, he went to check on his daughter. Lily was hugging her faithful purple elephant, her face the picture of peace. It would have been the perfect opportunity to continue his work, but he just stood at her crib, sharing her serenity.


	83. Chapter 83

Life Goes On

Chapter 83

The strains of "There's No Business Like Show Business" blasted from Castle's pocket as he watched Lily insert the hexagon into her puzzle ball. Lilly pointed at the din. "Ga ma."

Castle pulled out his phone. "Hello Mother."

"Richard, I need you to clear your schedule for tomorrow afternoon. Katherine too."

"Mother, tomorrow's Saturday. Kate and I have plans to take Lily to Baby Palooza. Big Bird is going to be there. What's the emergency?"

"A wedding," Martha informed informed him.

"May I be so bold as to inquire whose wedding?" Castle asked.

"Your mother and your father-in-law," Martha replied.

Castle choked."You and Jim Beckett are getting married tomorrow and you're just telling me now!"

"Well darling, last night Jim and I were in a poker game with Judge Markway. Well actually, I was playing, Jim was just acting as the bank. But anyway, we were discussing all the grief you and Katherine had trying to get married, that it was so much easier to just decide to get it done and do it. Markway threw a free marriage ceremony into the pot. He thought he was being funny, but I won the hand. After the game Jim and I were talking. You and Katherine have not been subtle about knowing we were together, even if you've never actually mentioned it. We decided that neither one of us is getting any younger and there's no reason to wait. So we decided to take Markway up on his offer. We got the license today, so we can get married tomorrow, Naturally we want our children there, and Alexis and Lily too. Just family, like your wedding. So much simpler that way. You know Jim likes simpler. And oh yes, no paparazzi."

Castle palmed his forehead. "Martha Rodgers shying away from the spotlight! I never thought I'd see the day."

"Well actually it's Jim that's camera shy." Martha explained. "You know how he is. He doesn't like to make his business public. It's too cold to do a wedding at the Hamptons house like you and Kate did. We're going to do it in Markway's chambers with the bailiff guarding the door. So, are you in?"

"If I value my body parts, I can't answer for Kate," Castle responded. "I can't imagine her missing her father's wedding, but it would be better if Jim is the one that breaks the news to her."

"Yes, well, that's what he thought too," Martha confided. "He's on his way to her office now."

Kate was surprised but relieved to see her father. The morning had been a steady stream of complaints either from people who objected to Christmas decorations or those who wanted more of them. Then there was the contingent who demanded that city employees should say nothing but "Merry Christmas," and the opposing group that proposed they should say "Happy holidays," or better still, nothing at all. There was nothing Kate could do about either controversy. None of the decorations in question were on city property. There was no official policy on greetings by city employees and with much of the City Council on vacation, it was impossible one could be put in place, even in the unlikely event the members actually agreed. So Kate just listened sympathetically to all parties and left no one happy.

The tightness in her gut that had released when Jim Beckett showed up in her doorway returned full force when he told her they had to talk and suggested they move to the conversation area. "Katie," he began, sitting on the edge of a comfortable chair opposite her, "I'm not sure how to tell you this, so I'm just going to tell you straight out. Martha and I have been seeing each other. We're getting married tomorrow and we want you to be there."

Kate laughed as her tension fled. "We'll it's about time, Dad. Rick and I have had the two of you figured out for about a year. We are both trained in detection you know." Jim Beckett shook his head in disbelief. "We've just been waiting for you to feel comfortable talking about it," Kate continued. "I would be honored to be at your wedding."

* * *

Lily's red velvet dress had been intended for Christmas Eve, but Castle and Kate decided the wedding was the more important occasion. It sported a few graham cracker crumbs by the time the Castles arrived in Judge Markway's chambers, but was still fit for pictures. Alexis came as well, bearing the flowers she's been hurriedly assigned to bring. Lily immediately demanded to be held by her sister, who handed the bouquet off Martha. Markway smoothed his robe as he stood before the small gathering. "I understand that you've written your own vows, it that correct?" he inquired.

"It is," Jim Beckett confirmed.

"Martha, you may begin now," Markway instructed.

"Jim, when we first met at an unfortunate dinner, you infuriated me. I couldn't understand your disdain for my profession or your fascination with a game so lacking in panache. But before the night ended, we discovered our disagreements were inconsequential in comparison to the undeniable connection we have, the love for our children. Since then, we have come to understand so much more about each other. You have discovered the draw of the theater and I have learned the subtleties of bat meeting ball. But more than that, we have seen our children battle against impossible odds and emerge stronger and more in love than ever. We have each both fought battles of our own, less dramatic, but life changing. We mourn each other's losses and rejoice in each other's victories. We are two different halves of a whole much greater than its parts. We belong together. Whatever other challenges we may face in the span of years remaining to us, I want to face them together."

Markway nodded to Jim Beckett whose voice rang through the room more strongly than Kate had ever heard it. "Martha, when Johanna was taken from me, I believed my life had been as well. Slowly I began to realize, first through my love for Katie, that although my heart was scarred, it continued to beat. But I never believed I'd love another woman enough to make her my wife. You changed all that. You have brought excitement and joy into my life. You've opened my eyes and expanded my world. We have clung to each through the worst and best of times. We share the love for our children, the ones they love, and so much more. For whatever time God may grant us, I want nothing more than to share it with you."

"Do you have rings?" Markway questioned.

Jim Beckett nodded. Martha passed her bouquet to Kate, and she and Jim slipped hastily but lovingly purchased gold bands on each other's fingers.

"By the power vested in me by the city and state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife," Markway announced.

Suddenly shy in the midst of the company, Jim Beckett hesitantly drew Martha toward him for a kiss. Castle had expected an "eww" factor, but instead felt nothing but joy at his mother's long overdue match with a good man. He started the enthusiastic applause.

"Babe, are you okay? You're uncharacteristically quiet," Kate noted as Castle drove her and Lily back to the loft.

"I just realized that it will be the first Christmas without my mother since Alexis was born, I'm really glad our parents managed to snag a cabin on a cruise for their honeymoon, especially since they have to fit it in before mother starts a new show. And she has promised to leave the family glug recipe with me. But still, it's a change. And Lily will be without both her grandparents when Santa comes. I just wish the timing had worked out better," Castle admitted.

"Castle, we've been through so many changes," Kate pointed out, "I'm sure you can handle this one. Besides, Lily won't remember. She'll just know she'll grow up with grandparents who love her and each other."

Castle sighed, a smile slowly finding his lips. "You're right. That's a Christmas present even Santa's elves could never produce."


	84. Chapter 84

Life Goes On

Chapter 84

"Castle, your mouth is wide open," Kate observed as Castle laid his phone on his desk.

"Kate, I'm winning two Pulitzers, one for the article I did on Brandon Cooper and one for Colin's Pen."

"Babe, I didn't even know you submitted."

Castle nodded slowly. "That's just it. I didn't. Paula talked about it for the Cooper exposé, but I didn't do it. It seemed like it would miss the point somehow. And for Colin's Pen, I didn't even think about it. I was just hoping people would read it and the critics wouldn't slam it too hard. Paula did the submission. She forged my name. She's very good at that. She also fronted the application fees. She thought maybe I'd get one, or at least be listed as a finalist. But this doesn't happen. I wouldn't even write something like this for Rook."

"Is there going to be a ceremony or something, like there was when you won the Poe?" Kate wondered. "We're coming up on Lily's birthday and Easter. That's a lot of celebration."

"The awards ceremony isn't until May," Castle said. "They're just announcing them now. But if I know Paula, she'll trumpet the news every chance she gets. And Curtis and Strom will want to use the award for Colin's Pen to boost sales, now that the Christmas season is over. Things could get a little busy, but I'll try to keep a lid on it. What could be more important than Lily's birthday, especially after what happened last year?"

Kate gazed at her husband in amazement. "This is not the Richard Castle I first met, soaking himself in the shower of adoration and lust from his fans."

Castle reached up to thread his fingers through her hair. "I don't need it. I have all the adoration and lust I want right here."

Kate draped herself across his thighs, her arms encircling his neck. "Right now I could get into the lust part. And considering that Lily is at the zoo with the grandparents today..."

"Opportunities such as these should not be missed," Castle murmured, bringing his lips to hers. As their tongues fenced, Castle slipped his hand beneath her skirt. He drew back in surprise. "Kate, you're commando."

Kate traced a fingertip over his lips. "You'd almost think I planned ahead."

"Ahead?" Castle repeated.

"If Ricky's a good boy, or better still a bad boy," Kate teased.

"I can be bad. I can be very bad!" Castle insisted.

Kate slipped from his lap and extended her hand. "Show me."

Castle gulped as she led him the few steps to the bedroom. Castle pulled Kate on top of him as their mouths rejoined and his fingers explored what she'd left unshielded. She was drenched and almost hot enough to singe his skin. She tugged at the drawstring of his pants, shoving them out of the way. "Tit for tat?" he suggested.

Kate shifted position to allow her tongue to lave the Egyptian glyph tattooed on his thigh, while his hands teased the tips of sensitive orbs made darker by motherhood. She lapped and nibbled her way across his groin to the blaze of his growing arousal, while his tongue found the hard center of her need. Unnoticed, the bedclothes became a sweat soaked tangle. The blood pounded in their ears and the room faded to a blur as they could feel and taste only each other. Climax rattled their bones and addled their brains. Drained, but steeped in passion's release, they fell into oblivious slumber.

Slowly regaining awareness, Castle focused on the face of the watch he had never removed from his wrist. He sat up with a start. "Kate!"

She stretched, her arms and legs extending like a well rubbed cat. "Hey Babe, if that's how you celebrate getting awards, I'm going to tell Paula to put you in for a lot more of them."

Castle threw his legs over the side of the bed. "You can tell her later. Our parents are due to bring Lily back in less than half an hour."

"Oh shit! We both need a shower! Listen, you use the one down here. I can grab one in a bathroom upstairs."

"We could save water and shower with a friend," Castle suggested hopefully.

"Not if we're going to be ready in...," she grabbed his wrist to check the time, "twenty-three minutes. Look I know Martha believes she's seen and done it all before but my dad is still more - conservative."

"Right, Castle agreed. "Separate showers it is."

Kate had just finished detangling her hair and Castle was smoothing the bed into a semblance of order when the doorbell buzzed. Kate drew a deep breath. "That's gotta be them."

It was the first time Kate could remember seeing her mother-in-law's hair or clothes anything less than perfect, as Martha dragged herself through the door. Jim Beckett came in behind her pushing Lily's portable stroller. Martha put a hand on Castle's arm. "darling, I hate to break it to you but your daughter's precociously extensive vocabulary has shrunk to one word."

Lily stretched her arms toward her father. "Da-da up!"

"Doesn't sound like it," Castle observed, unstrapping his daughter and lifting her into his arms.

"That must be the first time all day she's said anything but "no," Martha insisted. "No monkeys, no birds, no ride on the tram. She's become completely contrary. Must be your father's genes coming through."

"Mother," Castle pointed out, "she's almost two. It's normal for 'no' to be a two year old's favorite word. Alexis went through it too, don't you remember? Oh that's right, you were in L.A. playing the mother of a mutant teenager. But I would think you'd remember when I did it."

"I was on the road with _Seesaw_ , Richard. But that does explain why I had five sitters quit that year," Martha recalled. "How long is this going to last?"

"Mother, they're called the 'terrible twos' for a reason," Castle explained. "But she's done everything early. Who knows? She may be done with the phase in a few months."

"Oh God!" Martha exclaimed, turning to Jim, "How long did it take Katherine to become cooperative?"

Castle and Jim Beckett exchanged looks. Jim coughed. "You know Martha, I think we'd better be going. We do have that Bar Association function tonight."

Martha looked down at her sartorial disarray. "Well, yes, I will need to choose something more fitting for the occasion. We'll call you, children." Jim bustled her out the door.

"Cookie," Lily demanded.

Kate strode to the kitchen, retrieved a bag of animal crackers from the a cabinet, and slammed the door.

"Something wrong, Kate?" Castle asked, putting Lily down.

Kate filled a small plastic cup with crunchy wildlife and handed it to her daughter, who immediately began searching through the sweet menagerie for an elephant. "Castle," she accused, "I saw what passed between you and my father. You don't think I can cooperate? I think we did pretty well a few hours ago."

Castle looked down at his too attentive daughter, determined to choose his words very carefully. "Kate, that is hardly the sort of cooperation I'd explain to your father, at least if I wanted to retain the parts necessary to engage in it again. I think what your father and I were communicating is that you are an independent spirit, your own very decisive woman."

Kate rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Nice save Castle. You know after the nap we took post cooperation, neither of us will sleep much tonight."

Castle wiggled his eyebrows. "Then we'll just have to use the time to cooperate again."

A/N Yes, Rick and Kate are step siblings now. No, that does not make it illegal to be married, or immoral either, since there is no blood tie. If they had grown up together, there might be a natural biological taboo, but they didn't, so there isn't. Get over it! Given that Nathan is going to be guest starring on an arc on _Modern Family_ in the Fall, making the Castles have a family that's a bit different seems strangely appropriate. If you want to see the tattoo, watch the episode of _Firefly_ called _Trash_ , or you can check out the episode of _The Outer Limits,_ Nathan did. It's visible either way. Have fun!


	85. Chapter 85

Life Goes On

Chapter 85

A/N For those trying to keep the time line straight, it is 2019. Lily's birthday is on April 16. Easter is on April 21. The Pulitzer luncheon will be in May but the awards were announced in early April. Colin's Pen has been out for about 6 months. Martha and Jim have been married for about 5 months. Kate has been in office for more than 2 years.

Castle was determined that after the debacle the previous year's celebration,Lily's birthday party would be perfect. First, he was going to go a lot smaller, inviting Lily's regular playmates Sarah Grace and Nicholas Ryan, and Loney Whittaker. The children's parents would be there as well, along with the Castle family and Jinx. Hayley would have come, but she was across the country tending to Frasier Enterprises business.

Goodies for the kids had come from Kiddy Cuisine while adult food had come from Q3. Maddie Queller's pastry chef, Spike, had also produced a birthday cake adorned with carefully sculpted fondant elephants. The loft was decorated with blown up screen captures of scenes from Dumbo. A giant crawl through maze had been constructed and there was a play tank of plastic balls.

Jinx, dressed as an unidentifiable furry, led the kids in simple dance movements, while the adults, rich coffees in hand, watched from comfortable chairs. "So Rick," Paul Whittaker asked, "where do you go after two Pulitzers? Are you writing another book?"

"I have two projects, actually," Castle answered. "I've finished my obligation to Black Pawn, so there will be no more Heats or Storms. I'm working on a new literary novel and also a series of novellas, based on the more interesting cases from Richard Castle Investigations. Curtis and Strom is going to sell them as trilogies under a new imprint, Calculations. So what is the intrepid investigative reporter up to?"

"There's more than enough material coming out of Kate's office to keep me busy," Paul replied. "Her newest investigation into the foster care system is uncovering things that tear my guts out."

"They can," Castle agreed, gazing at his wife. "She's been working her heart out to improve things from a legislative standpoint, but the more exposure you can give to the situation the better."

Jinx finished her dance and Castle rose from his place proclaiming, "Who wants cake?"

The kids bounced toward the high table where the cake was displayed out of reach of tiny questing fingers. Castle lit the two year candle and holding Lilly tightly, lifted her up to blow it out. Lily immediately claimed the largest of the sugary elephants and Kate cut the cake, distributing pieces first to the kids and then to the adults, who were engaged in obtaining seconds of coffee.

When crumbs had been brushed from party clothes and faces cleaned of frosting, Jinx led the kids in a song punctuated with waves and bye byes. After cautionary final potty trips, the Ryans and the Whittakers took their children home. Jinx departed as well, pleading notes to write up, leaving the Castle family behind.

Lily was delighted to have the balls all to herself and played until her eyes grew heavy and her parents laid her in in her crib. Castle and Kate left the nursery hand in hand and dropped into the circle of chairs where Alexis, Martha, and Jim still sat. "No bullets, bombs, or sirens," Castle declared. "How will I ever stand the boredom?"

"An elephant stampede is still possible," Kate teased, waving a hand at the large images around the room.

"Rick, what are your plans for Easter?" Jim Becket inquired. "More pageantry?"

"No!" Kate replied emphatically.

"Lily will get a basket," Castle explained, "from the Easter Elephant instead of the Easter Bunny, filled with child safe stuffed toys dutifully approved by Jinx. We'll be dying eggs and we have every Easter cartoon known to man, but no parties or outings. I ordered Easter dinner ahead from Petrelli's, so neither Kate nor I will have to cook. There's going to be plenty if anyone wants to come. They're even sending one of those breads with the eggs in it. Kate and I just thought we'd eat and veg out for a while. Neither one of us gets to do that much."

"I would imagine," Martha agreed. "Actually, Jim and I do have plans. I'm performing that day. It's a benefit matinee for the family of one of the members of the chorus who died suddenly."

"We also thought we'd go to Mass at Saint Patrick's," Jim Beckett added. "Remember Katie, I took you once when you were a little girl."

"I do," Kate recalled, "it was beautiful."

"While we're discussing plans," Martha put in, "I read a little notice in the Ledger this week, about Gina."

Castle grimaced. "What about Gina? Other than writing the monthly ransom check the court calls alimony, I don't have much to do with her anymore."

"That's just it, darling," Martha replied, "she will soon no longer be a drain on the Castle coffers. She's getting married again."

A grin split Castle's face. "Really? Who's the unlucky fellow?"

Martha gazed into the distance. "Let's see if I remember, Gilbert something, scion of a high fashion shoe empire."

"Gilbert Ciolino?" Kate asked.

"That was it," Martha confirmed. "You know him?"

Castle turned to his wife, raising an eyebrow.

"The Ciolinos made him work his way up through the company," Kate explained. "Back during the fifteen minutes I was a model, he used to bring shoes to the shoots."

"You remember the guy who brought the shoes?" Castle questioned.

"We dated a couple of times," Kate admitted. "He did have some great stilettos."

Castle snorted. "I'll bet he did. Well I can see why Gina would be interested. Her love of ridiculously high priced fashion is only exceeded by the enjoyment she takes in torturing her authors. Well I wish the poor sucker luck. He's going to need it."

"I have some news too," Alexis announced. "I've met the experience requirements for a private investigators license. I'm going to be taking the test next week."

"Getting ready to drop the Richard from Richard Castle Investigations?" Castle asked, feeling an unexpected twinge in his gut.

"No," Alexis replied, "I think your name should stay on it. For one thing, you own most of it, until I can buy you out."

"Alexis, you don't have to do that," Castle argued.

"Yes I do," Alexis argued. "If I'm going to be an adult making it on my own, I can't have a business handed to me by my father. But anyway, your name has caché, especially if you're still going to be writing detective stories. It will be good for whatever business we take on in addition the Frazier Enterprises work. If we change it later, Hayley's name will go on it too."

"She deserves it," Castle agreed. "So will you be joining us for Easter? Your sister always loves to see you."

Alexis unconsciously ran a hand through her hair. "Uh, no Dad, I have other plans too."

"From the look on your face, I would assume they are with someone of the opposite gender," Castle observed.

"Yeah. Sergei. I met him at a forensics seminar. It won't even be Easter for him. His family is Russian Orthodox. He's taking me to meet them."

"Meeting the family, that's pretty serious," Castle asserted. "You've never even mentioned this guy before. Are you that far along?"

"It moved pretty fast, Dad," Alexis confessed. "But the minute we saw each other there was this instant connection, you know? Like we'd always known each other. Like we were meant to be together. We went for coffee and we talked all night. I mean, I've read about things like that in romance novels and seen them in the movies, but I never believed they really happened until I felt it for myself. We've been seeing each other whenever we could ever since that first time. Now, I can't imagine being with anyone else and I don't think he can either."

Castle leaned over to kiss his daughter on the forehead. "That's the magic you have to feel to believe. But once you do, you're never the same again. I'm happy for you. Bring him around to meet me too, will you? I have to run a background check."

"Dad," Alexis warned.

Castle put up a hand. "Just kidding. Besides if I know Hayley, she already ran one. But I do want to meet him."

* * *

Kate lay in bed gazing at the pale patterns of light that played on the ceiling, her fingers laced with Castle's. "It's been a day for changes, hasn't it Babe? Gina's going to be off your back. Alexis is getting her P.I. license and it sounds like she may be on her way to a wedding license as well."

"Well I don't want to rush that second license," Castle admitted, "but you're right about the changes. I just know there's one thing that will never change, my love for you."

Kate snuggled into the warmth of his chest. "Or mine for you."


	86. Chapter 86

Life Goes On

Chapter 86

Regarding the young man across the table holding hands with his older daughter, Castle filled the wine glasses with Chianti. "So, Sergei, tell me about yourself. What is it you do besides dating my daughter?"

Alexis put the toe of her high heeled boot into Castle's shin while her boyfriend answered calmly. "I'm a criminalist sir. I work for CSU. With your experience with the N.Y.P.D., I'm sure you're familiar with what we do."

"I am," Castle confirmed, gazing toward Kate, as is my wife, of course. "I don't recall ever seeing you at a crime scene. Kate?"

Kate silently shook her head.

"I'm still strictly in the lab," Sergei explained. "Only senior criminalists go out to crime scenes. I've only been on the job a few years. I hope to be moving up soon."

"That's admirable," Castle allowed. "Sergei Kasparov, any relation to the chess champion?"

Sergei nodded. "I'm been told he's a distant cousin, but I've never met him. I do enjoy chess, though. Alexis and I have had a few games. Do you play?"

"I do. Plotting out moves ahead has been good practice for my spy stories. After dinner would you like to try a game?" Castle offered.

Alexis' eyes widened, trying to communicate a desperate warning to Sergei, but the man agreed. Alexis pulled him aside while Castle was releasing Lily from her high chair. "Sergei, my father does not take losing well."

Sergei's eyes crinkled at the corners. "Very much like someone else I know. Don't worry, Alexis. I'll give him a good game. If he's anything like his daughter, he'll appreciate it."

Castle laid out his favorite chess board. Every piece was crafted to look like a _Star Wars_ character or vehicle. Sergei picked the fist in which Castle held an X-Wing Fighter, leaving Castle to play the dark side of the force. Sergei moved Obi-wan's fighter pawn out one space, starting the game in a classic manner.

Castle countered, moving out a Tie fighter. Having not played the game with her father since her early teens, Alexis was unaware that during his research to decode a cryptic chess board message for a case, Castle had memorized hundreds of advanced chess scenarios. Castle easily countered Sergei's every move, with a rapid checkmate leaving the young man staring in astonished admiration. Sergei extended a congratulatory hand. Castle found his handshake satisfyingly firm. "Anyone for ice cream?" Castle offered.

"I'll get the bowls," Alexis put in hastily. Her phone dinged as she retrieved the stoneware from a cabinet.

"What's up?" Castle inquired noting the look of concern on his daughter's face as she read a text.

"It's from Hayley. She was investigating the theft of prototypes from Ciolino's."

"Gina's Ciolino's?" Castle blurted.

"Uh huh," Alexis confirmed. "She says there's been a murder, the owner of the company, Anthony Ciolino. Because he would inherit, Gina's fiancé, Gilbert Ciolino is a person of interest."

Castle threw up his hands to ward off the news. "Oh no, no, no. It needs to be someone else. Gina has to get married again."

Alexis texted with her partner. "Hayley says that since she's familiar with the situation at Ciolino's, Captain Jeffords is going to allow RCI to consult. Hayley is thinking the murder has something to do with the industrial espionage she's been investigating. She believes if we get to the bottom of it, we'll find the real perpetrator."

Alexis looked toward Sergei. "I'd like to leave now. I want to do some research at the RCI office."

"I get it," Sergei responded.

"By all means go, go!" Castle urged.

Kate stared with a bemused smile as the door to the loft closed behind Alexis and Sergei. "Kind of reminds me of us, rushing out at the news of a murder."

"The pre-Lily us," Castle noted. "I guess we've passed the baton, although I reserve the right to visit it from time to time. I am going to keep on top of this investigation."

"Of course you are. Still want some ice cream, or should I put the bowls away?"

"This murder definitely requires frozen therapy," Castle decided.

* * *

Alexis looked up blearily from her screen as Hayley came into the office. "Have you been at it all night?" Hayley inquired.

"Yeah. Sergei stayed with me for a few hours, but he has an early shift and I made him go home to get some sleep. I've been studying the shoe blogs. I mean, I like shoes, but I can't believe how many people are obsessed with them. I've been looking for anyone claiming to have inside knowledge about the new Ciolino collection."

"Find anything?" Hayley asked.

Alexis hit a few keys and turned the screen toward Hayley, "Maybe. Do these sketches look like the real thing?"

Hayley studied the images. "Could be. We should send the link to Gilbert Ciolino to be sure. Who writes that blog?"

"The author is just identified as 'Shoe Sleuth,'" Alexis replied. "But if these are for real, with our skills, we shouldn't have any trouble sleuthing out the sleuth."

"You're sounding like your father," Hayley noted.

Oh my God, I am!" Alexis realized. "I definitely need some sleep."

* * *

Kate examined the report on her desk with disgust. It was another sad tale of the foster system. The initial report had been filed by a teacher who had noticed a little girl coming in with matted unwashed hair and dirty clothes. The investigation had preceded carefully, because the child's mother was another teacher. But eventually the mother had been found neglectful in many ways, including staying out all night and leaving her daughter to fend for herself. "Little Girl A" had been removed from her home, but things only got worse for her. She had lost most of her possessions and been terrorized by the other children in her foster placement. Finally, after reaching a stage of almost total withdrawal, she had been moved again, into the fire. She had been raped by an older foster child in her new home and run away. After breaking into a store to steal food, she'd ended up in juvenile detention center, where she'd finally been referred for mental and physical health services. At the point the report Kate held was written by her social worker, "A" was not doing well. Kate called Paul Whittaker. "The hits just keep on coming," she reported. "I'm going to make sure any clues to the identities of the victims are redacted from some documents, then I'm going to send them to you. Don't read them on a full stomach."

"I understand," Paul acknowledged. "We'll get this done, Kate. We'll get those kids a better life."

Hanging up, Kate put a hand to the queasiness in her gut. She pushed the icon for home. Castle picked up the phone. "A call in the middle of a busy advocate's morning. Did you need to hear my mellifluous tones?"

"No actually I need to hear Lily's," Kate replied. "Can you put her on?"

"Sure Hon," Castle agreed, sensing his wife's distress. "She's creating art with her snack."

"It's Mama," Castle told his daughter, activating the speaker and holding the phone in front of her.

"Mama," Lily repeated holding up a slightly squished piece of fruit. "Nana."

"Eating bananas, baby?" Kate asked.

Lily reached for an animal cracker. "Nana fa."

"Bananas and elephants," Kate concluded.

"She's creating a fruit and cracker, tray collage," Castle added. "Should I send you a picture?"

"Please," Kate requested. Castle snapped a photo of his daughter and her creation and sent it to his wife.

Kate stared at the stickily smiling image. She kissed her finger and touched the screen. "At least there's one child I know I can keep safe."


	87. Chapter 87

Life Goes On

Chapter 87

Kate's stomach vigorously protested the stench coming from the kitchen. Trying to avoid inhaling, she went to investigate. "Babe what is that? Did something die in here?"

From behind the counter Castle turned to her. "It's just coffee, Kate, Flavor Country with a few shavings of dark chocolate."

"Don't you smell that? It's awful!" Kate insisted. "Your coffee must be rancid."

Castle sniffed the carafe. "Kate it's not rancid. I just got a new shipment in. It smells like it always does. Do you feel all right? You didn't eat much last night, but I thought it was because of the whole foster kid thing."

Kate could no longer hold back what was rising to her throat. She ran for the bathroom. Castle followed, holding her hair back while she retched. He filled a glass with water and handed it to her to rinse her mouth. "Better?" he asked, when she'd finished.

Kate drew a cleansing breath. "Yeah, but could you just get rid of the coffee?"

"Sure," Castle agreed. "be right back." Rushing to the kitchen, Castle poured the fresh brew down the sink and ran water after it.

He returned to find Kate wiping her face with a damp cloth. "I must have picked up some bug at work," she speculated. "There's always something going around the office."

"So maybe you should stay home today," Castle suggested. "I can make you dry toast or whatever you think you can handle. I need to get Lily's breakfast anyway. She's up. I can hear the music from her newest mobile. She just hasn't complained yet."

Kate shook her head. "No, I've got too much to do. It's not just the foster care issue. With summer coming in a couple months we need to get after the bus companies that serve the special needs kids about the air conditioning again and the city has outsourced some things that shouldn't have been, including hospital services. The quality has plummeted and people are getting shafted. I need to start the ball rolling on getting things back the way they're supposed to be."

Castle felt her forehead. "No fever. Promise me you'll come home if things get too bad?"

"Yeah Babe, I promise."

* * *

Alexis returned to RCI moderately refreshed after a few hours of sleep, a long shower, and an extra large coffee. "Any luck tracking down Shoe Sleuth?" she asked Hayley.

"The ownership of the site was easy. All I had to do was a whois. It's run by a Suzy Simkins. She also does fashion videos, mostly about shoes, on Youtube. She's a clerk at a boutique, hoping for greater things. We had a fairly jolly conversation. She told me she found the shoe sketches by accident. She was trying to sign on to a site she regularly visits, but she mistyped her password and accidentally was redirected to a restricted access area. The sketches were there. She thought they looked like great shoes. She tried to download them and she couldn't, but she took screen captures and put them on her own site. Right now I'm tracing the ownership of the site where she found them, layer after bloody layer."

"That tells us something, doesn't it?" Alexis mused. "Those layers wouldn't be there it the owner of the site had nothing to hide."

"Probably right," Hayley agreed, "although whoever it is may just be paranoid or a wanker who gets off on setting up this kind of maze. But I've seen worse. I'll hack through it."

* * *

The first thing Castle did after Kate left was start a new pot of coffee. He had already prepared the batter for Lily's favorite silver dollar pancakes and cut up toddler ready wedges of apple, when he heard his daughter call. Castle had been concerned that Kate might have passed on whatever was bothering her, but Lily showed a healthy appetite and he felt fine too, except for his temporary caffeine withdrawal.

Castle was scheduled to take Lily to a toddler workout session Jinx had recommended as preparation for what she would experience the following year at preschool. He was hesitant to leave the loft in case Kate returned, but he called her and received assurances that she was feeling better. With Lily in a pair of mini Oshkosh overalls, he took her to the gathering.

There were a number of mothers and a few fathers at the class, but Castle recognized no one. Several of the women and two of the men did recognize him. One father in particular introduced himself as Norm and made it a point to find a space on the large multicolored mat next to the Castles. He regaled Rick with his own experiences growing up and how much he could relate to Colin and his outlet through writing. Castle was flattered, but had no chance to enjoy the praise. Lily was not getting with the program. While perfectly content to follow movements when Jinx did them, Lily steadfastly refused to follow anything the perky workout leader, Misty, did. Lily firmly planted her Oshkosh clad rump on the mat and refused to move. Castle cajoled with no effect. Finally Misty put on some music that Lily recognized and the toddler stood up, but did the motions Jinx had taught her rather than those Misty demonstrated.

Through it all, Norm continued to ramble on about his own childhood challenges. Castle was pretty sure what was coming next. He was completely unsurprised when Norm confessed he was working on a manuscript of his own and wondered whether Castle would look it over. Hoping it would be short, Castle agreed to read a sample chapter and told Norm he could bring it next session.

When they returned to the loft, Castle and Lily were both out of sorts. He had hoped that a workout would make her tired enough to nap, so he could get some work done. He was fictionalizing the retrieval of Belle Persky for a novella and was trying to decide just how many details to change and in what way. He was sure he wanted to keep the sensory deprivation chamber, but wanted to make the rescue from it much more dramatic, perhaps with a near drowning or hostile gunmen surrounding the plane. Whatever his plans had been, Belle would not be making it off the mountain anytime soon. Not only was Lily not sleepy, she demanded Jinx, who unfortunately had a seminar all day. Lily had managed to turn almost as purple as her elephant, when through a desperate imitation of Cookie Monster, complete with cookies, Castle managed to convince her to watch a Sesame Street video. "Just as well Kate didn't stay home," he muttered to himself while preparing lunch. "She wouldn't be getting much peace today."

Kate wasn't getting any peace at work either. The morning had gone smoothly, but the pipes in one of the buildings the city had leased out to a daycare center had sprung a leak. No city agency would admit to the responsibility for providing a plumber and Kate and her staff were trying urgently to line up other arrangements for the displaced children. By the time she returned to the loft that evening, she was ready to collapse into Castle's arms. Unfortunately, he was just as ready to collapse into hers. When Lily had finally exhausted herself enough to be put to sleep, the equally exhausted couple sank to the couch together, to commiserate in shared frustration.


	88. Chapter 88

Life Goes On

Chapter 88

Castle was sleeping the sleep of the dead, but Kate was wrenched from her uneasy rest. Even without the smell of coffee, her stomach drove her toward the porcelain throne. What she had managed to eat the night before was long gone, leaving her with dry heaves and a mantle of misery. Castle clawed his way from the depths of slumber and padded in behind her. "I thought you were feeling better."

"I was last night, but I'm not now," Kate confessed.

Castle felt her head. "Still no fever, and it's morning. Kate do you think...? I know your rhythm was thrown off by the nursing, but that was a year ago. You've never been that regular to begin with, but you haven't had a period for a while. Things are smelling funny to you again. Could you be pregnant?"

"Castle, you know Lily was pretty close to a miracle and Dr. Gershon said the chances of my conceiving again were very low."

"Low but not zero," Castle pointed out. "Wouldn't it be a good idea for you to pee on a stick? I can set Lily up with breakfast and run out and get you one. The drugstore's open twenty-four seven."

"Castle really?" Kate protested.

"Indulge me," Castle coaxed.

"Fine." Kate agreed.

* * *

Kate stared at the plus sign. She had known Castle was right, she just wasn't ready to believe it. Much as she had come to enjoy being a mother, even with Lily's present negative streak, the timing was not good. When the baby was born she would still have a year to run on her term. Bob Weldon would be starting his gubernatorial run in earnest and she would have to be at her most visible and energetic to stand a chance of being elected to the seat he would be leaving. Then there were her continuing law classes. The topper was that when Jinx finished her dissertation, she would be gone from Lily's life. Try as she might, Kate couldn't figure out how things would work without dropping an even heavier load on Castle, and she didn't want to do that. As willing as he might be, it just wouldn't be fair. She hoped without the fog of morning sickness, Castle might have a clearer mind than she did. She left the bathroom to give him the news.

Castle was perched on a stool at the counter typing on his laptop while Lily finished the last of her Zoo Crunchies. He turned as his wife approached the kitchen. The look on her face made announcement of the results unnecessary. "You're pregnant," he stated.

"Babe, we're juggling so much now, what are we going to do?"

Castle slipped from his seat to wrap his arms around her. "We'll figure it out, just like always. You'll see, it's going to be great."

* * *

Hayley looked up from her keyboard as Alexis came in. "I've got the bugger," she announced. "our mystery site is owned by a Radnor Christen. I checked public records on him. He has quite a history. He was with a string of companies, some of whom suffered unexpected declines. For the last couple of years he's billed himself as a consultant. And here's the connection, I went through my files on Ciolino's. He's listed as a consultant. He's supposed to be be advising them on how to make a splashy launch for their upcoming line."

"So he would have had access to sketches of the shoes," Alexis concluded. "He used the restricted part of his site to pass them on to whomever he was working for. Somehow, Anthony Ciolino figured out what he was doing and Christen killed him for it."

"It's a good working theory," Hayley agreed. "but we're a long way from proving it. If we're going to get Gilbert Ciolino off the hook, we're going to need something solid."

"Nobody at Ciolino's has ever seen me, right? What if we get Gilbert Ciolino to give me a job? I could be a gofer for the group Christen is working with. No one ever pays attention to gofers," Alexis asserted. "They just tell you to fetch coffee and make copies. I found that out on one of my internships. I'll watch Christen, see what he does."

"Alexis, no one may have paid attention to you as a high school student, but in case Sergei hasn't mentioned it in the last hour, you have become quite a beautiful woman. Men will enjoy paying attention and some of the women may consider you a threat. At the very least, if you're determined to go under cover at Ciolino's, lose the red hair. A mousy brown would be a good start. Wearing a really ugly pair of glasses wouldn't hurt either and some clothes that disguise the curves."

Alexis nodded. "I can do that."

* * *

Castle sat in a chair watching Lily play. His laptop was across his thighs but the saver played across the screen. There was no doubt that a new baby would be a challenge. After chasing Lily around, he had aches and pains he couldn't remember suffering when Alexis was small. Lily would not yet be old enough for preschool when the baby was born, and even when she was, it would only be for a few hours a day. Kate could never abandon her quest for justice and he would never ask her to. As hard as Kate might try to assume her share of the burden, most of it would fall on him. There had to be a solution, but somehow he just wasn't seeing it.

Castle turned on public television to a new show they had launched for young children. As Lily bounced excitedly, Castle watched the announcement of supporters for the programming. As the names of foundations were listed, an idea began to form in Castle's mind. His fingers found his keyboard to explore the possibilities. Public office was far from the only place to pursue good works. Maybe, just maybe, there could be a place for Kate that would be more compatible with the impending growth of their family. When Lily took her afternoon nap, he would have to get his lawyer on the phone, but he could explore the groundwork first.

* * *

Alexis stared at herself in the mirror. Gilbert Ciolino had agreed to her plan, arranging an assignment for her, working with Radnor Christen. She would be reporting for work the following day. Her hairdresser had given in and applied the drab color she requested only after Alexis swore on her life that she would never reveal who had perpetrated such a travesty. The heavy glasses, rigged with a camera, were part of the standard disguises she kept around the office and the baggy clothes had come from a thrift shop. She looked like a before picture in an infomercial for makeovers. Hayley would be happy. Alexis had sent Sergei a picture. As a fellow crime fighter, he was amused rather than repelled, but urged that she finish the job as quickly as possible. She was all for that. She had never thought of herself as vain. She hadn't tried to measure up to the eye dazzling glamour her step mother could project when she was so inclined, but still, she had always enjoyed looking good. She would be viewed very differently in the world, however temporarily. She suddenly found herself with a growing sympathy for women who couldn't wash out the dye and take off the glasses.


	89. Chapter 89

Life Goes On

Chapter 89

Alexis wasn't even seated at the table in the conference room. Returning from the break room with coffee and pastries, she distributed what she'd brought to the attendees at the meeting and stood in the back to await her next summons. Hastily designed offerings for the new Ciolino's shoe line were being presented and she could see Radnor Christen paying rapt attention. There were comments from around the table concerning emerging trends in design and color. A groan went around the room at Christen's mention of _Project Runway._

Christen stood, gazing down at the members of Ciolino's management. "Look at Christian Siriano," he declared. "Like it or not, the designers you see on that show are on the red carpet or selling out their boutiques a year or two later. And they're being copied like mad. If Ciolino's were just selling classical styles you would be out of business. You're selling to all the women who strut that runway in their dreams. They may slip their shoes off under their desks or put on Nikes to ride the subway, but they want to feel like they're at the leading edge, even if actual runway shoes would cost them more than they make in a month. Ciolino's has to be out in front with the freshest ideas and the newest styles. The theft of your line may have been a blessing in disguise. Several of the styles were throwbacks to last year's trends or even further back. This is your chance to start again as leaders of the pack."

Head Designer Maria Lorenzo rose to face Radnor. "I will admit there is something in what Mr. Christen says. For many of our customers, especially the younger ones, we have to keep up with fashion fads. But we have other customers as well, women who are making their mark in the world. They are interested in creating their own look, their own style, and wearing it with confidence. They want a shoe they can take to the boardroom, something that says brains as well as beauty. Ciolino's has served them for decades and our sales to that market have always been more than satisfactory. "Jennifer, I have the figures on the desk in my office. Could you get them please?"

It took Alexis a second to respond to her undercover name, but she hurried off to do as she was asked. She was pretty sure she knew what Christen was up to. If Ciolino's could be pushed to the fashion edge, then another revelation of their designs, or worse, knockoffs, could be devastating. A competitor could sweep in and capture their business. Once Ciolino customers had switched their loyalties, Ciolino's might never recover. Maria Lorenzo's designs for her more conservative customers would be less vulnerable, but might not be enough to keep the company afloat. Alexis returned to the conference room with the documents Maria had requested then faded quietly out of the room. Hayley had provided her with a USB drive with a keystroke logger. With Christen out of his office, she could upload it to his computer. Hayley would be able to track everything he did. Once they exposed him for what he was, Hayley could, at the very least, present Captain Jeffords with an alternate theory for Anthony Ciolino's murder. If they were really lucky, they might uncover Christen's true employer.

* * *

Castle studied the spreadsheets his business manager and accountant had provided. He was doing well. He hadn't indulged in the panic selling that had taken place during the recession. In fact he had held on to his stocks and bought more. When the market recovered, the value of his holdings had soared. His love of innovative tech had served him well, investing in Apple and Google at the early stages. His portfolio was worth considerably more than the royalties from his books. There was no reason Kate should ever have to work again a day in her life. He had no necessity of writing another book either. Of course either scenario was unthinkable. For Kate, fighting the good fight was as necessary as breathing. And for Castle, writing was nothing less. But his wealth would provide a springboard from which he could launch the project he hoped would be compelling for Kate, but more workable for their family. Until he knew if his idea was possible, he had put off mentioning it to Kate, but he knew if he kept it to himself any longer, he would face her fury for proceeding without her approval. Jinx had taken Lily to the computer lab at the university to try out new interactive programs designed for toddlers. Kate would be home soon and he could present his idea to her without either of them having to keep one eye on their daughter.

Kate dropped her tote bag by the front door with a thump. Castle looked up from the counter where he was making a fresh batch of juice. "Bad day?"

"We had an emergency council meeting to discuss Leticia's newest initiative for restaurants to post information on any GMO ingredients used in the foods they serve. We had testimony from the restaurant associations and the clean food advocates. The usual two camps couldn't agree on anything, so we ended up tabling it until the next meeting anyway." Kate leaned against the counter. "No one's happy."

"Sounds normal," Castle observed.

"True," Kate admitted.

"Also exhausting," Castle suggested, "especially in your present condition."

"Castle, I have a feeling that you are trying to work your way into something, and right now I'm too tired for that. So just come out with it."

"Okay Kate, here it is. I think there is another way you can pursue your goals of making the world a better place - at least until we no longer have babies in the house. And I think you can do it without politics. I've already started looking into it, but I didn't want go any further unless I was sure you were on board."

Lines bracketed the bridge of Kate's nose. "Castle," she demanded, "what are you talking about?"

Castle cleared his throat. "Kate you know how the court uses non-profits in adoptions or to monitor conditions in homes where people with disabilities live?"

"Uh huh," Kate replied cautiously. "But there aren't enough of them to make up for the shortfall in public services."

Castle clapped his hands together. "My point exactly! I want to start a non-profit. It could deal with your current issue, inadequate or abusive foster care. Kate, you've already studied the problem. You're already doing the work. You could just do it in a venue that would be easier to adapt to your needs and the needs of our family. My lawyer says if we really push the paperwork, and with me providing seed money, we could have something up and going by the time the baby is born. That would be close to the end of your term as Public Advocate. And if things get too difficult before then, you could resign and just work on choosing the right people for the organization. You must have run across a number of them already."

"Castle, you've thought about this a lot, haven't you?"

"Kate, I admit that I have, but if you tell me to stop, I will stop. We can figure out something else."

Kate pushed back hair that had forced its way in front of her ear. "Castle, I'll need some time to think about this too. I had a plan. We had a plan. Now it looks like we need a new one. Maybe this will be it. Maybe it won't. I need to at least sleep on it. I'll let you know."

Castle leaned over the counter for a kiss. "That's all I'm asking."

A/N Notifications from the fanfic website aren't always timely. I post on Twitter as soon as I update. If you want to follow me, my Twitter handle is CheerfulChemist.


	90. Chapter 90

Life Goes On

Chapter 90

Pushing back the covers, Kate turned toward Castle. "Babe, I want more."

"Oliver Twist," Castle mumbled sleepily.

Kate leaned over him. "More from the non-profit."

Castle rubbed his eyes. "It's still dark out and I don't hear Lily up. What time is it?"

"I don't know Castle, but listen. All the time I was working with the N.Y.P.D. and with everything we've done in the Advocate's office, I've seen things falling between the cracks. Sometimes it's children. Sometimes it's seniors. Sometime it's crimes that don't get prosecuted because there isn't enough glory in it for the D.A.'s office. That's what I want to do, go after injustices that fall between the cracks, wherever they are."

Castle propped himself on his elbow."Kate you're making it sound like you want to be some kind of super hero."

A smile pulled at Kate's lips. "Yeah, I guess I kinda am."

Castle cupped her cheek. "Nothing wrong with that. You're actually playing more in my ballpark. We'll have to have a worthy name, like Fill the Cracks Foundation."

"Actually, Castle," Kate considered, "that sounds perfect."

Castle grabbed his watch from the nightstand and regarded the glowing dial. "Glad we got that settled. It's four A.M., Kate. Now that we've got our plan, maybe we can go back to sleep for a while, at least until Lily wants to get up or you have to upchuck."

Kate snuggled into his chest. "Okay Babe, I'll try."

Kate was surprised but delighted that her nausea never materialized when she awoke a couple of hours later. Instead, she was able to eat the fluffy eggs Castle produced and she and Lily fed each other strawberries. Kate left the loft humming.

* * *

Hayley examined the output from the key logger Alexis had planted in Radnor Christen's computer. The man certainly spent a lot of time on porn sites and very little time on much else. She did find a couple of emails to an address at a forwarding service, stating that the project was coming along well. Hayley set about trying to discover the owner of the account.

As might be expected, the operator of the forwarding service considered the matter completely confidential. Without enough evidence to obtain a court order, even had the police been willing to push for one, Hayley was forced to use the tools she'd picked up during her stint in MI-5. It was still slow going. Alexis came to the office in her Jennifer Marlowe persona, bearing a chocolate milkshake. Hayley grabbed it and sipped greedily. "Shouldn't you be at Ciolino's?" she inquired.

"Maria Lorenzo sent me on a scouting expedition to see what shoes seem to be attracting attention in the stores. I just thought I'd check in with you while I have the chance. Anything?"

"Other than Radnor Christen really is a wanker," Hayley replied, "no, but I'm getting there. Can't get this over in forty-two minutes like they do on the telly."

"Don't I know it," Alexis agreed.

"Oh wait, this might be something. Does the name Gabby Moncreif ring a bell?"

"Yeah, she's model, or she was," Alexis replied. "My father dated her a couple of times during his supermodel stage. I heard she stopped strutting the runway to run some kind of fashion empire. I haven't followed her lines, not really my style." Alexis looked wryly at her neat but unflattering outfit. "Certainly not Jennifer Marlowe's style."

"Might Gabby have reason to want to bring down Ciolino's?" Hayley wondered.

"Now that I think about it, she would," Alexis recalled. "You don't usually see Ciolino shoes on a runway, but Gabby was doing some kind of charity thing. I remember my father commenting that it was probably one of the few worthwhile things she did. It was a fashion show touting clothes within the reach of career women working their way up. Anyway, Gabby fell on the runway. She caught her heel somehow and it broke. I think it was a Ciolino's shoe. She wasn't hurt, but the video was on _E_ _ntertainment_ _T_ _onight_ and eventually it went viral. She was aging out anyway, but she might have regarded that fall as the beginning of the end for her modeling career. She could see stealing Ciolino's designs as a way to boost her business and get revenge. Something mean and petty would be her kind of play. After my father decided he didn't want to date her anymore, I remember him grumbling about some nasty comments she made about him on page six, something to do with his virility or lack of same."

"I suspect your stepmother would disagree," Hayley quipped.

Alexis covered her mouth. "Eww. But anyway, Gabby Moncreif would be a likely suspect for holding Christen's leash. Dig into him and see what you can find. I'll go take notes on New York shoe shoppers."

* * *

After delivering Lily for a play date with Nicholas, Castle stopped into his lawyer's office. The paperwork would have to be adjusted to reflect the newly christened Fill the Cracks Foundation, but Castle was ecstatic that Kate had decided on a path she could pursue without sacrificing her ideals or their family structure. If later, as Simon Doyle had predicted, she became a Senator, they would be able to manage, but that would be more than a decade down the road. Doctor Gershon had estimated that Kate was between six and eight weeks along. That left the next seven months to worry about - or a few more, if Kate served out the length of her term.

He also had a more immediate concern. Paula had been making huge fuss about the upcoming Pulitzer Prize Luncheon. As far as Castle was concerned, it wasn't much of a deal. It would be held at Columbia University not some theatrical venue. The checks and certificates had already been sent out anyway. His journalism award had gone to Oogie's veterans group and the one for Colin's Pen would be donated to the Fill the Cracks Foundation. The ceremony wouldn't be televised. Video would eventually end up on the web, but not in a way that would draw much attention. It would mostly be dry speeches and, Castle suspected, drier chicken. Still, Paula was trying to figure out how to make the most of Castle's accomplishments and wanted him to do another round of publicity appearances. He couldn't imagine where he would find the time and he wasn't interested anyway. He wanted to absorb every moment he could of Lily's early years, even her current rounds of purple faced tantrums. He wanted to make sure Kate was well taken care of and he wanted to write. His fans were great and he more than appreciated their support, but he no longer felt the need to bathe in their praise. He had more than enough validation at home - and there would be more. The stories that would come out of RCI would be exciting, especially after he added the Castle touch, but the ones from Fill the Cracks would be poignant, even heart rending. When Sammy was completed, he suspected he would have more than enough material to fill serious books for years to come. That would be a legacy of which he could be proud. More than that, it would be a legacy of which Alexis, Lily, and whatever child was yet to come could be proud. Castle realized giving that hertage to his children now made more difference to him than a room full of women waiting to have their chests signed. Could Richard Castle finally be growing up? He considered his excitement at a visit to the Drake magic shop he would fit in on his way to retrieve his daughter. No, he wasn't leaving his childhood sense of wonder behind yet.


	91. Chapter 91

Life Goes On

Chapter 91

Alexis and Hayley had both pulled up chairs at the largest desk at RCI and were going over the file on Anthony Ciolino's murder together. "There were prints CSU couldn't match and DNA that wasn't in the system, but they determined it was female," Alexis noted. "There are a lot of women that work at Ciolinos. The DNA could have been a random transfer. But if we could match the prints or the DNA to Gabby Moncreif, we'd have her. Can you hack into her financials, find out where she goes? Maybe there's a coffee shop or something, where we could snag a cup."

"Or we could try the social media surveillance of which your father is so fond," Hayley suggested. "There will be tweets and posts about where she's been seen. That could establish a regular path. We could ask Castle to set that up. He's very good at it, and after all, we are solving this case to get him off the hook with Gina."

"I'll call him and ask him," Alexis agreed, "then I have to do more secret shopping for Maria. So far what I'm finding backs up what she said, so I'm on her good list. I want to stay that way. And when I'm fetching and carrying at Ciolino's later, I can collect samples from other members of the staff in case we need them for elimination."

* * *

Castle responded to Alexis' request with gusto. It was good to be back in the PI harness again, if in a supportive role. He hadn't done this much social media work since he tracked down a purse for Sophia Del Cordova, but it was yielding results. If anything, there were too many results. Cell phone cameras had clicked on Gabby Moncrief everywhere. Castle found the highest concentration of sightings at a trendy gluten free cafe where weather permitting, patrons dined al fresco. He would have liked to check the eatery out himself, but he had Lily all day and it was not the sort of place to bring a toddler. He transmitted his results to Hayley.

* * *

Sporting the latest hairstyle and trendiest boots, Hayley occupied a table at Cafe Amaranth. The specialty of the house was a quick bread crafted of the ancient flour with a secret mix of others. Hayley found it surprisingly good, especially when paired with a mocha latte. She gave every appearance of being absorbed in watching video on her phone, but kept a watchful eye for the appearance of Gabby Moncreif. The former model made her entrance at four P.M., close to the time that Castle had found previous sightings. Gabby took a table farthest from the sidewalk, but well within the range of the sound amplifier Hayley wore disguised as an earbud. The former model ordered a latte with almond milk and sweetened with stevia, along with a small bowl of fresh melon, and began to check the messages on her phone.

Gabby kept her voice down when she returned a call, but Hayley could clearly hear the name Radnor. The surprise came when Gabby declared how lucky she was that someone took the old man out. The case took a sudden swerve. If Gabby Moncreif or Radnor Christen hadn't taken Anthony Ciolino out, who had? When Gabby left, Hayley collected the napkin that had been used on Gabby's well lipsticked mouth, just in case, but any samples Alexis could snag had taken on a whole new importance.

* * *

Castle was energized. Lily had gone through the day immersed in playing with a toddler education system Jinx had recommended, without a sign of a tantrum. She was in her high chair snacking on bits and pieces Castle gave her of the dinner he was preparing, and watching her father while he cooked. "Getti," she observed, as Castle put out spaghetti to be dropped in boiling water when Kate arrived.

"That's right," Castle confirmed. "It's spaghetti. I'm making the meat sauce mama loves and a great salad with the croutons you're eating. I've got Italian bread warming in the oven and there's spumoni for dessert."

"Moni?" Lily questioned.

"It's like ice cream, "Castle explained. "With pretty colors."

"I keem," Lily repeated happily. "Lily I keem!" she demanded.

Castle immediately realized his mistake in mentioning dessert before dinner. "After dinner," he told her. "Lily will eat ice cream with Mama and Daddy."

Castle was amazed and relieved to find that Lily found that acceptable as she stuffed another crouton in her mouth. He heard Kate's key in the lock. "How goes the battle?" he asked, putting the pasta in the waiting pot.

"Not bad," Kate reported. "We verified documentation that all the special needs buses will be air conditioned, and some of the worst foster homes have had their certifications pulled. The D.A. is even considering some prosecutions. I'm going to write up one of the cases for my law class. Looks like you and Lily had a good day too."

Castle put a finger to his lips. "Shh! Don't jinx it!"

Kate set the table, complete with candles, which would be snuffed before Lily was released from her high chair. Castle automatically cut up a portion of the spaghetti into shorter strands Lily could manage and topped it with sauce he'd set aside before the final additions of spice. The toddler's face was soon blissfully covered in red. Kate twirled her spaghetti against the side of her bowl. "Castle, this is heaven. But I want to hear about the Ciolino case. Are Alexis and Hayley closing in on that old model girlfriend of yours?"

"She was never my girlfriend," Castle protested. "I didn't even sleep with her, regardless of what she might have implied to the press. "

"No sleep!" Lily declared.

Castle covered his mouth with his hand. "Oops! No Lily, it's not time to go night night yet."

"The antennae are always up, Castle," Kate reminded him.

Castle shook his head ruefully. "Don't I know it. But anyway, as unpleasant and felonious as she may be, from what Hayley heard today, Gabby doesn't appear to be our murderer. Alexis is surreptitiously snagging DNA samples from the staff at Ciolino's. Hayley will be coordinating with Captain Jeffords to get them run." Castle gazed questioningly at his wife. "You look disappointed."

Kate shrugged. "I admit, I wanted it to be Gabby. I didn't like the idea of you spending time with her and I really didn't like the stuff she put out there about you."

Castle wiggled his eyebrows."Well considering that I have the hottest wife in the city, who would believe it anyway? By the time Hayley and Alexis are finished, Gabby will still have orange scrubs in her future. And once Lily goes to s-l-e-e-p, I have some ideas for our immediate future, if you're feeling up to them."

Kate ran her hand up his thigh. "Castle, I feel great and I have some pretty good ideas myself. So how do you propose to speed our daughter's transport to the land of Nod?"

"I thought a lively after dinner game of 'Chase the Daddy,' might do the trick," Castle proposed, followed by a bedtime story and maybe a lullaby."

"Castle I don't know about the lullaby, but 'Chase the Daddy' and a bedtime story sound pretty good to me too."

Castle pressed a kiss to her sauce spiced lips. "I can't wait to get started."

Lily slapped her hands against her tray. "Moni!"

Castle couldn't repress the laugh that surged from his throat. "Of course. The ladies must always have their desserts."


	92. Chapter 92

Life Goes On

Chapter 92

"Alexis, answer your bloody phone!" Hayley exclaimed, waiting anxiously for her associate to pick up. It was Hayley's third try, two others having gone to voice mail.

Out of breath, Alexis answered on the fourth ring. "Sorry, I had to get somewhere private. I'm in the supply closet. What's the 911?"

"The emergency is that the woman who's been sending you all over town to take notes on shoe shoppers is our murderer. Alexis you should get out of there now!"

"What? Wait! No!" Alexis protested. "Maria Lorenzo?"

"Both the fingerprints and the DNA match the sample you gathered. She could get onto you at any time." Hayley warned.

"But the fingerprints and DNA may not be enough to convict her," Alexis argued. "Any good defense attorney could argue that they could have been left any time. If I were on a jury, I wouldn't convict. We know she had opportunity, but just about everyone who works here did. What we need is a motive. And to get that, I need to stick around and find out everything I can. I'll be fine. Jennifer Marlowe is too insignificant for Maria or anyone else to worry about."

"Just be careful, Sweetie," Hayley cautioned. "If Lorenzo catches you snooping around... Killing is easier the second time around."

Alexis gave a little shudder, wondering how Hayley discovered what she had just declared. "I'll be careful," she promised.

Maria Lorenzo accessed the encrypted set of spread sheets on her computer. Despite the good news Jennifer was cheerily delivering, the market for her classic line was not nearly to the level of the rosy picture she had painted with her official version of the figures. It was true the shoes were selling, but the material and construction were much more expensive than for the faddish shoes that were only expected to last a season. If they were to sell at a price the target market could afford, the profit margin needed to be slim, or non-existent. Anthony Ciolino had known that. As much as he claimed to admire her work, he'd planned to change Ciolino's priorities, and bring in new blood to do it. Maria couldn't have that. She had been working too long and too hard at Ciolino's, to be displaced. She hadn't really intended to kill Anthony, had she? She had intended to appeal to the much more malleable son. But when they discovered the new line had been pilfered it seemed like a godsend. It meant she'd have at least a little time to regroup, if Anthony would let her. She went to Anthony's office to present some new designs and found him sleeping in his chair. Fuck it, she was working desperately to save the company and he was sleeping! Rage overtook her. The pillow from his couch made it so easy to make sure he'd never wake up. And even if they didn't have enough evidence to arrest him, the police had made it more than obvious that they suspected that wimp Gilbert. She would have the time to put Ciolino's on a winning road - her road - again. Maria closed the file. Right now she didn't need spreadsheets. She needed a glass of wine, and it was a pretty short walk to Legamos to get one. Hefting the oversized bag that always contained her sketch book, to her shoulder, she left her office.

Before beginning her search for evidence, Alexis watched Maria exit her office and made sure the designer had actually left the building. Maria constantly referenced her favorite designer, Coco Chanel. She'd also shown Alexis a picture of her dog named Coco. Alexis had a strong suspicion of what Maria's password would be. As soon as she was into Maria's computer, Alexis determined that Maria had accessed a spreadsheet, but when she attempted to bring up the most recent file, the computer demanded another password to decode it. Alexis typed "Chanel" with success. She could read the encrypted file. She captured the image on her phone. Carefully she searched through Maria's desk. She didn't find much that was interesting other than an impressive collection of cosmetics, until she explored the small bottom drawer. It contained sketches, doodles really, but there were three that caught Alexis' eye. One was of Gilbert Ciolino sitting on a stool with his thumb in his mouth and wearing a dunce cap. Another was of Anthony Ciolino, with a circle drawn around it and a line though it and the caption, "no assholes." The third was of someone Alexis didn't recognize. It was a woman and Maria had drawn a foot in a high heeled boot kicking a well rounded posterior. The caption read "The only boot Angela deserves."

"So who's Angela?" Alexis murmured. She photographed all three sketches and left Maria's office.

Kevin Ryan was surprised to receive a call from Alexis. He knew that RCI was consulting on the Ciolino murder but Hayley had coordinated their participation through Captain Jeffords, who'd passed on whatever he considered relevant to the detectives. "Hey, Alexis, what's going on?"

"Kevin, do you have Anthony Ciolino's phone records?" Alexis queried.

"Yeah we do," Ryan replied, "but we didn't find anything useful in them. Other than calls between him and Gilbert, he wasn't talking to anyone we'd consider a suspect."

"Could you check if he had any calls with someone named Angela?" Alexis requested.

"Why?" Ryan questioned. "There's no reason to suspect anyone named Angela."

"Kevin," Alexis explained, "I don't think she's a suspect. I think she may be the reason the murder was committed."

"Alright, just hang on a second." Ryan dug through the files on his desk. "Okay, I'm looking. There is an Angela Siciliano. Wow, Ciolino talked to her several times right before he was killed. Who is she?"

"Kevin that's what we need to find out, but if my theory is right, she is the murderer's nemesis."

"Alexis, you know you're sounding just like your father, right?" Ryan pointed out.

"When It comes to solving murders, that's not a bad person to sound like, Kevin," Alexis returned. "I believe you will find that Angela Siciliano is a designer of shoes and Maria Lorenzo's competition."

* * *

With Lily spending a few hours with Jinx, Castle joined Alexis and Hayley in observation while Ryan and Esposito interrogated Maria Lorenzo. "I wish Kate was doing this," Castle confessed. "She could get anyone to spill their guts. The boys are good, but she was better."

"Dad, they don't really need a confession," Alexis pointed out. "With what Angela Siciliano said about Anthony's promises to recruit her and push Maria aside, we have motive. They found the pillow with Anthony Ciolino's saliva on it hiding in plain sight with the pillows on the couch in Maria's office. That's method. And Maria was in and out of Anthony's office all the time. That's opportunity. A confession will just save everyone the trouble of a trial."

Surprisingly, Esposito played good cop and Ryan played bad cop. They had the routine honed to perfection. Esposito sympathized while Ryan coldly presented the damning facts. Alexis pointed as tiny drops of moisture formed at the tips of Maria's lower eyelashes. "Look, they've got her. She's breaking down."

Castle watched Esposito pushing a legal pad and a pen across the table as he'd seen Kate do so many times. "You're right, they do. Well no wonder. They learned from the best."


	93. Chapter 93

Life Goes On

Chapter 93

Castle fiddled with his tie. "I wish we could take Lily to this thing, or invite buddies from the precinct like we did with the Poe. It would take the edge of pretentiousness off the affair."

Kate turned to him and smoothed the knot in the silk at his neck. "Castle, it's going to be fine. Lily will be happier on her outing with Jinx than listening to speeches. And if you're going to keep writing literature, you'll have to get used to a little pretentiousness. People are proud of delving for inner meaning, whether it has anything to do with what the author actually meant or not. I've had a couple English classes that would have been about fifteen seconds long without that kind thing."

"Me too," Castle agreed. "I had one English prof who actually got turned on by feverishly enthusiastic explication. The the author read something she wrote about his work and said it was all well and good, but none of it had ever occurred to him while he was writing it. Ms. Parker was walking around like a zombie for a month. He might as well have ground her heart under his heel."

"Well you won't grind anything under your heel, unless you get really frustrated with the rubber chicken. I will happily display a wifely glow of pride. Paula can continue to write 'Pulitzer Prize winning' into all her blurbs, except now it will be more official, and Curtis and Strom can use the event to push your books as hard as they can. Then maybe after the ceremony we can get you out of that tie and do some celebrating privately."

"You got me with the private part," Castle grinned, "or private parts."

Kate rolled her eyes and tugged at her skirt. "I should cut down on the ice cream. This shouldn't be this tight. I shouldn't be showing for weeks yet."

"I think you look great," Castle offered. "Maybe the new baby has a sweet tooth. As long as Gershon says you're healthy, what difference does an extra pound or two make? Just more for me to love."

"Castle, that's sweet, but I don't want to look like the Queen Mary."

"As long as you're not the Titanic," Castle quipped.

* * *

The speeches might have dragged, but both Kate and Castle found the conversation at their table fascinating, without a shred of the pretentiousness Castle had feared. Castle was particularly drawn to a Rook-like journalist who actually had the sorts of adventures Castle had written about, minus authoring romance novels. Though the Nikki Heat stories had been retired, Castle was always interested in potential characters. He filed Spenser Molina away for future reference.

Still, by the time the luncheon ended, Castle was anxious to return to the loft. He consulted his watch as he and Kate came through the door, and wiggled his eyebrows. "Jinx won't be bringing Lily back for a couple of hours yet."

"Mmm, then maybe we can catch a nap," Kate suggested

"And by nap you mean...?"

Kate traced his lips with a fingertip. "The enjoyment of assuming a roughly horizontal position - or several positions."

Castle kicked the door closed and scooped her up. "Naps are great."

Alisha the housekeeper had taken the opportunity of an empty loft to do some undisturbed cleaning. The linens on the bed had been changed, leaving it fresh, with a trace of the scent of vanilla to tickle their senses. Castle laid Kate on the inviting surface of the satin comforter. He undid the button at her waistband. "No more reason to feel restricted."

"No reason at all," Kate agreed, pushing the garment downward, revealing panties of black silk and lace.

Castle slipped his fingers beneath the delicate edging. "The world has no idea what lies beneath that tough as nails exterior. Soft, with infinite mystery."

Kate reached up to to stroke his mounting excitement through the smooth fabric of his dress pants. "Castle, what I want now is no mystery, anymore than what you want is."

The accouterments of ceremony were quickly banished to the hardwood floor to be gathered up later. Castle gazed at his wife, pushing the hair from her face. "You are beautiful. Your face, your body, still occupy my dreams and continue to amaze me in the daylight."

"You're not so bad yourself, Castle, prize winning I'm told. Care to demonstrate your brilliance?"

"That would be my great pleasure," Castle declared.

Their lips met, the touch a blend of the familiar and new explorations. Castle's hands traced the curves of her body, the subtle changes overtaking it arousing to discover. Her skin grew warm beneath his caress and she moved restlessly, arching against him. She gasped as he palmed the center of her desire, moist and hot. Air forced itself from her lungs as he tested her readiness. She answered the unspoken question by stroking him in kind and drawing him to where she was open and needy.

The tight globes below her back were supported by the strength of his large hands, as husband and wife merged as one, moving in a rhythm controlled not by thought, but only desire. Kate could feel the change sweep through her, more quickly than she had expected, as as she approached the final surge to release. The inner waves forced themselves through her, holding Castle in their grip and plunging the couple over the summit together. Slowly returning to the conscious realm, Kate lay breathless in her husband's arms.

Castle's boneless relaxation suddenly tensed to full alert. "Do you hear that? They're back!"

"Oh God!" Kate exclaimed. "We should have had another hour. Lily could wander in here any second! Did you remember to lock the door?"

Castle sprang from the bed to depress the knob. "If you recall, my hands were otherwise engaged. Oh, I hear Lily's inevitable demand for cookies. We should have a couple of minutes. Let's just get dressed as fast we can."

Kate dived for the drawer where she kept her weekend clothes, pulling out sweats she could slip on quickly. Castle did the same with drawstring pants and a t-shirt. He finger combed his sweat dampened hair as Kate passed a quick brush through hers. Castle grinned.

"What?" Kate asked.

"You still look beautiful," he replied. "Maybe more, because in my head I can still see what you're hiding beneath that baggy fleece."

Kate stood on tiptoe in her bare feet to grab a quick kiss, then slipped into a pair of sandals, while Castle quickly donned athletic socks and boat shoes. She gazed at her now only slightly flustered image in the mirror and at an almost put together Castle. "I guess we should go greet our daughter before she finishes her crumb fest and comes looking for us."

The couple strode out of the bedroom as casually as they could. Lily had almost finished a flourless peanut butter brownie cookie that Castle had baked from a recipe alleging to hide nutrition within a treat. She stuffed the last piece in her mouth and barreled toward her parents. "Dada, Mama! Lily ride horsey!"

"We were in Central Park," Jinx explained. "She wanted to go on the carousel. I thought we'd just be in one of the sleighs, but she saw a horse with a purple saddle so..."

Castle nodded knowingly. "I understand. Hard to deter her from an adventure, especially a purple one."

"I strapped her tight and held on to her," Jinx assured them. "The up and down motion is really very healthy. It can be quite stimulating to the senses."

Rick and Kate exchanged a lovers' look and tried their best not to laugh.


	94. Chapter 94

Life Goes On

Chapter 94

Castle had an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu. The color scheme was slightly different than when he'd married Gina, bowing to the most trendy palette, but the similarities were there. It was the same church and the same relatives of the bride. The bows in the aisle were as perfectly tied, matching the fabric that would shield the bride's train and fashionably shod feet in the aisle.

At least this time he was safely in the back instead of awaiting Gina at the altar, and Kate was at his side, if shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "Castle, I don't know why you even accepted Gina's invitation. Is it normal to attend the wedding of your ex-wife?"

"The invitation didn't come from Gina, it came from Gilbert Ciolino," Castle reminded her. "He was thankful RCI could get him here. He may not be as grateful in a few months, but maybe he'll be luckier than I was. Anyway, I'm here for the same reason people go to their enemies' funerals, to make sure they're dead. I want to make sure Gina's really married. Then I want to eat her food and drink her wine. Rocco DiSpirito is cooking. I probably helped pay the tab, I might as well enjoy it. And I can gloat that my ex doesn't even come close to the beauty of the love of my life."

Kate put a hand over her too quickly expanding belly. "Right. Babe, I didn't gain nearly this much with Lily. I'm glad Dr. Gershon is doing the ultrasound Monday, so we can see what's going on."

"We'll see a beautiful baby inside a beautiful mother," Castle assured her.

The strains of the Pachelbel Canon began. Gina's attendants proceeded in slow cadence to the front of the church, followed by the smugly blond bride. At a distance it was hard to read Gilbert Ciolino's face, but Castle could have sworn the poor bastard looked happy. Castle hoped the feeling would last for Gilbert longer than it had for him. The ceremony was traditional but mercifully brief.

Castle had brought Kate in his sedan, with the toddler seat ready for Lily's later occupancy. He steered it skillfully into the ranks of cars making their way to the reception at Rocco's venture on 22nd Street. The tables were too close together and the music too loud. The Castles were seated with the Ciolino family, who although friendly, were not friends. Kate, of course, could not have any champagne and she found the non-alcoholic offerings uninteresting. After sitting through the obligatory speeches and taking a few turns on the dance floor she and Castle agreed to go pick up Lily, who was spending a few hours with Martha and Jim.

* * *

"So darlings," Martha inquired, "did you enjoy Gina's exit from the Castle liabilities column?"

"I enjoyed watching her leave," Castle replied. "And I genuinely wish Gilbert Ciolino luck. Where's Lily?" The sounds of the latest Disney anthem emanated from the next room. "Never mind, I know."

Lily had grabbed Jim Beckett's hand, trying to urge him to twirl with her in front of the video screen. As soon as she spied her parents, she turned her attention to Castle. "Lily dance Da da?"

Castle swept her up to move to the cheerful beat. "Getting to dance with two of my favorite partners today," Castle smiled as Jim Beckett sank gratefully into a chair. "Kept you hopping?" Castle sympathized.

"She is a lot like Katie was," Jim replied, "never a dull moment."

Kate gazed at her father. "I have a feeling I should be apologizing."

"No you shouldn't," Jim replied. "I enjoyed every minute of the mother, and I do of the daughter. But it's a grandfather's privilege to hand her back to her parents. And speaking of parenthood, how are you feeling, Katie?"

"Fat," Kate confided, "but fine."

"That's good," Jim responded, regarding Lily squealing joyfully in her father's arms. "You need all your energy."

* * *

Dr. Gershon watched the screen as she applied the wand to Kate's gently rounded abdomen. "Hmm."

Castle lurched forward. "What's the matter? Is there something wrong with the baby?"

"There's nothing wrong I can see," Gershon assured him, but..."

"But what?" Castle interjected.

"This is very unusual, considering Kate's loss of her ovary and tube, but it's not baby, it's babies. Kate, you're carrying twins. It's a little early to determine the sex, but there are definitely two babies in there."

Kate's mouth fell open in shock as Castle bounced on the balls of his feet. "Twins! Hey, Kate, looks like Simon Doyle was right again. Three kids! This is gonna be great!"

"Easy for you to say, Castle," Kate retorted, "you're not the one who's going to blow up like a beach ball."

Castle's enthusiasm couldn't be quelled. "The most beautiful beach ball the world has ever seen! Dr. Gershon, is there anything we should be doing? Does she need more vitamins? A different diet? More rest?"

"The vitamins and the diet are fine. Kate I'll track your weight gain to make sure it's in the healthy range and we'll do regular scans to make sure everything is well with the twins. As far as rest goes, rest when you're tired Kate. Don't try to be superwoman," Gershon cautioned. "Don't try to push through. And if something doesn't feel right, you call me or come in - right away."

"If I have to carry her," Castle declared.

* * *

Kate sank into the leather of the passenger seat as Castle drove her back to her office. "Babe, we have so much to do. We can't just move Lily upstairs to Martha's old room anymore. We'll need double everything. The nursery wasn't designed for two. We can put another crib in there, but it will be tight. I'm not sure how we're going to manage."

"We'll work it out, like we always do," Castle declared. "Maybe we should think about buying a house, a year round one, not like our place in the Hamptons. We could get one with more room for the kids and more office space so I can write and you can work on Fill the Cracks. Once your term is up you won't have to worry about being close to the Advocate's office. We could look in Riverdale, or out in Queens, maybe even Jersey. Realtors are always approaching me about putting the loft on the market and it's appreciated so much since I bought it, we could probably do a house for cash and maybe even have something left over. I know you're attached to Manhattan, so am I. We were both raised here. But with three kids, wouldn't it be nice to have a house with a yard? We could have play equipment. Ooh! Maybe a Jedi battleground."

Kate rolled her eyes. "And who's going to be doing battle, Castle?"

"Well obviously it will be a family affair," Castle replied. "Look, I know it's a lot to wrap your head around Kate, especially after just finding out about the twins, but if we're going to get it done, we should start now. Think about it, okay?"

"Castle, right now I'm sure I'm going to be doing nothing but thinking about it. But um, can we make a stop before you drop me at the office? I could really use a slice."

Castle glanced at the clock on the dash. There were worse things than pizza at eleven A.M. "A slice from Giovani's coming up. Maybe two."


	95. Chapter 95

Life Goes On

Chapter 95

"We haven't heard from Alexis in a while," Kate noted as she spread her toast heavily with peanut butter. "Is she on a case?"

Castle worked his tongue to clear enough creamy nuttiness from his mouth to talk. "Hayley's handling the casework right now. Sergei had some vacation time coming so he and Alexis decided to take a trip together. The plan was to fly out to California, rent a car and drive up the Pacific Coast Highway. Alexis found the trip laid out on the National Geographic website. I know they made it to California. She called me when they landed. They're going to follow what the site suggested, more or less, hitting the Hearst Castle, Big Sur, Carmel, all the regular points of interest. They'll also take whatever side trips tickle their fancy."

"That is a lovely drive," Kate offered. "I made it when I was at Stanford. So how do you feel about your daughter spending a week on the road with her boyfriend?"

"Are you asking me as a father or a reasonable human being?" Castle asked.

"A reasonable human being, Castle?" Kate repeated skeptically.

"When all else fails," Castle allowed. "As her father, I'm determined to hang Sergei up by his balls over a fire if he does anything to hurt my daughter. However, I am endeavoring to remember that Alexis is a very capable adult who knows what she's doing."

"And how's that working for you?" Kate queried.

"It requires considerable distraction, and in that spirit, I've been working on my search for an appropriate domicile for our rapidly expanding family." Kate glared at him. "Oops, that didn't come out right. Kate, there are some really cool houses within a very reasonable commute to midtown. Let me show you." Castle brought his laptop from his office. After retrieving a saved search, he turned the screen so they could both see. "Look, there are a lot of possibilities. This one is a rebuilt brownstone. It was originally meant to house two families, but it was redone for one. There are four good sized bedrooms plus a couple of smaller ones that would work for offices. There are three bathrooms. And there's a yard, not as big as I'd like, but it would work. And then there's the new construction on the waterfront, it's gorgeous, but after Sandy, I don't know." Castle switched to a sketch, rather than a photograph. "This is my favorite."

"I can see why, Castle. It looks like a castle."

"I know, right?" Castle agreed. "There are a group of these homes going up in Riverdale. They're about a million more than we can probably get for the loft, but my business manager says that wouldn't be a problem, even with doing the initial funding for Fill the Cracks. It has eight bedrooms, an elevator, a swimming pool, and six and a half bathrooms. There's even a built in vacuum system. That could be very useful with three kids running around."

"I'm sure it could, Castle, but much as you'd love for us to be the Castles in a castle, I think we could scale down a bit. Vacuum system or not, we'd need full time help just to keep the place clean. There has to be something in-between this and the brownstone."

"You're right," Castle agreed regretfully. "Anyplace you are will be my castle anyway. I'll keep looking."

"You do that Babe." Kate caught sight of her father's watch on her wrist. "I've got to get going. I have a full schedule this morning of unhappy citizens coming to my office to air their complaints."

Lily looked up from the peanut butter art on her tray. "Mama go bye bye?"

"I'll be back for supper," Kate assured her. "You be a good girl for Daddy."

Lily pushed her hair back with peanut butter covered fingers. "Lily good girl."

Castle regarded the goo in his daughter's dark locks. "I can see what Lily and I will be doing after breakfast. I think she does that because she likes that strawberry crème shampoo with the Disney princesses on it."

Kate tried unsuccessfully to swallow a giggle. "See you later Castle."

Half an hour later, with Lily clean and strawberry scented, a slightly damp Castle put his feet up on an ottoman and balanced his laptop across his legs, while Lily made plastic food in her toddler kitchen. She had a set of miniature pots and pans that were an almost perfect reproduction of the top of the line cookware he used, and was trying her best to make play pasta - minus the boiling water. He was proud as he watched her try to mimic what she'd watched him do at the real stove. "Maybe she will be the chef Kate and I joked about," he murmured.

Castle had sent off a couple of chapters of Sammy off to his editor at Curtis and Strom and was working on a novella very loosely based on the shoe industry intrigue at Ciolino's. After a short chapter, he couldn't resist switching back to his house search. The new construction was bright, fresh, and interesting, but he felt himself drawn more and more to places with a history. There were houses dating back more than a century, some that had even been moved from other locations. Over the years they had been upgraded with modern plumbing, luxury kitchens, and even indoor swimming pools. Castle closed his eyes. He could almost feel the solidity of the stone under his fingers. He could see the patina of old, but lovingly cared for wood. His lids flew up again as Lily tugged at the leg of his pants. "Lily no cook. Lily, Daddy, out."

Castle closed his laptop, swung his legs down and kissed the top of her head. "That's a good idea, Lily. Let's go look for new castles."

"Casuh," Lily repeated with a bounce.

* * *

Castle tooled around the historic neighborhood of Fieldston. Although part of New York City, he had only been there once or twice when one of the richer authors had a party. He had never taken the time to explore it, something he now regretted. There were houses that seemed to have materialized from his fanciful imaginings. He parked for a moment to contact a real estate agent whose number had been displayed on a sign in front of one of them. It was serendipity that Mona Brightman was a fan and breathless to hear the voice of Richard Castle requesting a tour. She quickly agreed to meet him in twenty minutes. Castle drove around to keep Lily engaged until the appointed time, then parked again to await Mona's arrival. She pulled up promptly in a large plush sedan clearly intended to accommodate the chauffeuring of potential buyers. Gushing over Castle and his "adorable daughter," she took him through the house, pointing out features.

Lily's nose wrinkled and Castle noticed the odor of mildew unsuccessfully disguised by air fresheners. The last thing he needed was mold remediation, if it would even be possible. Is there another one you could show us?" he asked, disappointed.

"Of course, Mr. Castle," Mona agreed. "It's only a few blocks away, and it's empty. I can use the lock box to get us in. You can just follow me."

Mona expertly led Castle to a French Provincial mansion. "It was built in 1921," she explained as she worked the combination. "It's very convenient, even if you don't want to drive. The subway is walking distance."

"Casuh," Lily chirped.

"Castle?" Mona repeated. Lily's face glowed with a smile. "Yes it does look like one, especially with the turret." She addressed herself to Rick. "It's all original stone, very solid. With the elevated location, you don't have to worry about water damage. Five bedrooms, four and a half baths, tall oak doors with iron work." Mona clicked a light switch. "And here, the most charming breakfast room: light, airy, perfect for the family with children. At three point five million, the house is a steal."

Castle stared at the vision forming before his eyes, a remnant of a long forgotten dream. He was sitting at a large round table with an older version of Lily while Kate herded in twin boys. Kate's expression was bright and carefree and his own face was smiling and happy. Sippy cups were filled with orange juice and the whole family toasted to the day. He blinked and the vision was gone, but the warmth in his blood remained. This was the place.

A/N Fieldston is real and contains a house much like the one described. Unfortunately Castle doesn't live there.


	96. Chapter 96

Life Goes On

Chapter 96

Kate viewed the visit to Castle's dream house with trepidation. He had shown her pictures, and she had to admit it looked wonderful. There was also the matter that the loft was likely to sell for about two and a half million more than the house in Fieldston cost, freeing up a lot of cash for Fill the Cracks, if they needed it. Still, she couldn't imagine that it would be as perfect as Castle claimed, and she hated the thought of disappointing him. To add to that, Lily had been repeating 'casuh', ever since she'd seen the place.

Mona met the family at the house for a return tour. Kate regarded every room with the care she would have examined a suspect. There were scars in the woodwork, as would be expected in an old house, but she couldn't find much else wrong. The ceilings were not as high as those in the loft, but high enough to accommodate a good sized Christmas tree. The windows, although matching the woodwork, were modern, eliminating the chance of chill air forcing its way around them when winter returned. The bathrooms had been updated as well, to include a double sized shower and a Jacuzzi. There was high efficiency central air and heating and someone had even installed the type of vacuum system Castle coveted. The gourmet kitchen sported granite counters and luxury appliances much like those Castle had installed in the loft. The coup de grace was the breakfast room, which enchanted Kate as much as it had Castle.

Kate turned to Mona. "Ms. Brightman, the one thing I can't figure out is why after going to all the trouble of updating this place, someone would want to sell it."

"As I understand it, the family had invested heavily with Lehman Brothers. They took a serious hit during the crash and have been trying to rebuild their cash reserves ever since." Mona explained. "They're hoping sale of this house will put their kids through college."

"Having put my older daughter through an Ivy League School, I can certainly sympathize," Castle said.

Kate scanned Mona's face with skill born of years in the interrogation room. "What else, Ms. Brightman?"

"It's silly really. Two of the children insisted they'd seen a ghost here," Mona admitted. "They claimed she never tried to harm anyone or move anything, just that she seemed very unhappy. They would hear her crying at night in the turret."

"A ghost! How cool is that!" Castle exclaimed.

"Cool in the sense that the kids had great imaginations, Castle," Kate responded.

"So, have you come to a decision?" Mona inquired.

"We'll let you know," Kate replied.

"Don't wait too long," Mona cautioned. "Some other family may just decide to scoop it up."

"Kate, didn't you like it?" Castle questioned in disappointment as he fastened Lily back into her car seat.

"It's beautiful, Castle. And you know I don't believe in ghosts."

"Then what's the problem?" Castle demanded. "I could have given her a check for earnest money and nailed the place down."

"Babe, she was hiding something. I could see it in her eyes. If it was just the ghost story, you can give her the earnest money tomorrow or even tonight, but I want to do some checking, okay?"

"Okay," Castle agreed reluctantly.

* * *

Castle paced the floor of the loft anxiously as Kate bent over her computer and made a few calls. Finally she stretched in her chair and sighed.

"So what's the verdict?" he asked apprehensively.

"Mona was hiding something, a couple of things really. The first is that the owner of the house didn't just go down because of the crash. He was suspected of malfeasance. Nothing was ever proved, there weren't even any charges brought, but he's been on a downward spiral ever since. It's not just a matter of sending the kids to college. If they can't sell that house, and quickly, the family goes into bankruptcy. That means we could low ball the offer. The second is that the house has a history."

"What? Was someone murdered there?" Castle queried.

"Not a murder," Kate assured him. "But someone did disappear. It was the son of the man who built the place. They suspected he might have been kidnapped, but no one ever demanded a ransom. He just vanished on the eve of his wedding. There was a countrywide search, but no trace of him was ever found. Not long after that, his bride-to-be died."

"She must be the ghost!" Castle concluded, his eyes brightening. "She's crying for her lost love. Kate, a house with a ghost and a mystery! We have to buy it!"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Castle, there is a mystery, but there is no ghost. And I don't see any reason we shouldn't get the house, the question is, given the situation, what are we going to offer for it?"

"Kate, I did some checking too. It's already priced substantially below market. If it is true that the father has been more than just unfortunate, and as you've pointed out, that hasn't been proven, there is no reason to punish the family. As far as I'm concerned, they can have their asking price."

Kate rose and wrapped her arms around him. "Castle your mother is right, you really are a softy, aren't you?"

"Just given what's happened in our own family, I mean like how Jackson's history almost killed Alexis and me, I just don't believe the sins of the father should be visited upon the children."

Kate laid her head against his chest. "I get it. Alright, call Mona and make your deal."

* * *

Alexis and Sergei laid out a picnic lunch on a rough wooden table at the edge of woods overlooking the Pacific ocean. The wine had been purchased in Carmel and the sliced meats, salads, and chocolate cheesecake at a small deli, which also threw in the cold pack to preserve them during the couple's drive. Alexis couldn't help noticing that Sergei kept wiping his palms against his pants and almost knocked over the potato salad. "Is something wrong?"

Sergei jammed a hand in his pocket. "Nothing's wrong, Alexis. Everything is right. Possibly for the first time in my life, everything is right. So I was just thinking..." He suddenly dropped to one knee on the pine needle covered ground and pulled something from his pocket. "I was wondering, Alexis Harper Castle, if you would do me the honor of becoming my wife." Sergei extended a thin band of gold, with a diamond flanked by two clear blue stones."

Alexis stared down at him, the words catching in her throat. "H-how did you know my middle name?"

Sergei's brows descended over his eyes. "Not exactly the response I was expecting, but I called your grandmother. I told her I wanted to get something engraved for you, which was the truth. Both of our initials are inside the ring. But now that I've answered your question, can you answer mine? I love you, Alexis. You've changed my whole world, and I never want to leave you. Will you marry me?"

"Sergei, I love you too and I never want to leave you either. Yes, I will marry you." Fingers fumbling, Sergei slipped the ring on her finger, where it sparkled in the California sun. Dazed but curious, Alexis gazed at the flashes of light. "It's beautiful, Sergei, perfect! But a diamond is traditional, why the blue stones?"

"Because," he explained, pulling himself to his feet and cupping her face in his hands, "They are exactly the color of your curious and incredible eyes."

Their lips met, their picnic and the rest of the world, forgotten.

A/N I couldn't call Martha, but Alexis' middle name is on Wiki.


	97. Chapter 97

Life Goes On

Chapter 97

Finding a rare opportunity to return to the loft at lunch, Kate found Castle sitting at his desk with a stunned look on his face and his cell grasped with numb fingers. "Babe, what's wrong? Something with the house?"

Castle slowly laid the phone down. "The house is fine. Mona came by this morning and I signed the contract. It's Alexis."

"What? Did something happen in California? Is she all right?"

"As far as I can tell, she's just fine," Castle replied. "I'm the one who's in shock. She and Sergei are engaged."

"Well, we did expect that. From the way those two were at the get go, it was obvious where things were going. It was just a matter of time. Sergei is a nice guy with a solid career. And he seems to be fine with what Alexis is doing with her life. I'm happy for them."

"I'm happy for them too, at least I'm trying to be. It's just with so many things going on at once, the twins coming, the move, your career change, Lily changing so fast, I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around another thing so earth shattering," Castle admitted. "But!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together, "that's no reason not to hold a celebration. They'll be back in a couple of days. What do you think? Q3? Maybe something at The Old Haunt?"

"Maybe, Castle," Kate suggested gently, "they might want to decide that for themselves. In any case, you should talk to them about it. And speaking of talking, where's Lily?"

"Jinx took her to the university. They got a grant to start some kind of experimental enhancement program there and Jinx wanted to see how Lily reacts to some of the - I think she said tactile stimulation - things they're thinking of using."

"Castle it's great that Jinx is studying Lily, but I'm not sure I like the idea of her being a guinea pig."

"Kate, they aren't sticking needles in her. The way Jinx explained it to me, the protocol involves fake fur, terrycloth, and baby brushes, three things Lily has already solidly embraced. I'm sure Lily is having a blast. And they should be back soon anyway," Castle added. "I promised Lily mac and cheese for lunch, and now I can use the comfort food too."

"Castle, I'm sure you can."

Castle's cell dinged with text. "Hmm," he muttered scanning the message, "it's from a realtor. Has a client he thinks might be interested in the loft. Wants to come by this evening and have a look."

Kate gazed around involuntarily. "Wow, so fast. I don't know, Castle. I guess it would be good to make the move fast, have a place ready for the twins. But my work is in Manhattan and so is our family, Doctor Gershon, some of our friends, and Jinx. It would be nice to stretch it out a little more."

"Kate, we can do whatever you want," Castle reassured her. "We have a sixty day close on the house in Fieldston, and it is contingent on the results of a professional inspection. That will give us some time to do whatever we have to do, but if you want to take longer, we can. The money is there. I got almost as much as the new house is going to cost together in one day in Paris as a ransom for Alexis. I almost left it on a dead body in the woods. It was good that my father reminded me to take it back. My point is, we can swing holding onto the loft for a while, taking our time getting the new house ready before we move. Do you want me to pass on tonight?"

Kate shook her head slowly. "No. If nothing else, we can use the visit to gauge interest. Always good to have some leverage."

"Now there's the poker playing Kate I know and love. I'll accept." Castle heard the door open and Lily loudly calling for Daddy and "mac cheese." Castle pushed back from his desk. "That's my cue."

* * *

Merrick Gunderson was perfectly attired. His tie was the right width, his shoes Italian, his suit the right fabric and very obviously not off the rack. He showed up to the minute of the appointed time, handed Castle and Kate his cards and exclaimed over Lily, while staying carefully out of the reach of potentially sticky fingers. Lily screwed up her face and regarded the intruder with suspicion. To head off any impending scream fests, Castle scooped her up and carried her as he showed Merrick the features of the loft. Kate watched the tour with a mixture of interest and dread.

Merrick asked a lot of questions, discussing moldings, fixtures, and remodeling. Kate noticed that he also slipped in a number of questions about security. He showed a particular interest in Castle's home office, his eyes taking in every detail. "Man yuck!" Lily declared when Merrick finally left.

"Not a nice thing to say," Castle chided his daughter.

"You know, Castle, I think Lily may be a good judge of character," Kate offered. "He was too slick. He made out like he was scoping the place out for a client, but I think he was casing it. When he was in your office I could swear he was trying to figure out where you might be hiding a safe. He took a long look at my engagement ring too, as if he was figuring out just what else we might have around. Can you get Hayley to run him? I got a picture of him while he was pretending to say goodbye to Lily. I wanna send that to her too."

"Fine," Castle agreed. "I bow to your superior knowledge of criminal behavior. But I'm glad I asked for the name of his tailor. The man does do outstanding work."

"Well if you decide to use him just be careful about letting him get his hands in your pockets," Kate cautioned.

"Kate," Castle assured her, "the exclusive on handling anything in that area, especially the lower regions, belongs to you. Send Hayley the picture of Slick Gunderson and one of his card and I'll send her a request from her silent partner."

Kate guffawed. "Silent partner, Castle? I can't imagine the day you'd be silent anything."

* * *

Hayley dragged slowly and gingerly into the RCI office, grateful that Alexis wasn't there to see her. The club she'd visited the night before had been great and the music almost as intoxicating as the innocuous appearing drinks. She had known she was staying too long, but the band had reminded her of London at its best. The morning had demanded it's price. In the past she might have gone out with Alexis, who would have called for an earlier end on a work night, but it was clear from the call she'd received from California that her future forays would be without the company of her sister in arms. She scrolled through her email. It only took a glance at the picture Kate had sent of of Gunderson, for Hayley to pick up the phone, the adrenaline in her blood banishing any lingering effects of the night before. Engaged in a conference at her office, Kate couldn't pick up, but Castle did. "Rick," Hayley began without greetings, "the man in the picture Kate sent last night is not named Gunderson. His name is Jacques Assange, aka 'The Suit.' I've run up against him before. He works with a crew of high end thieves. They go for jewelry, art, but nothing that would ever turn up at the neighborhood pawn. They smuggle their takes overseas for private sales. And Castle, Assange is wanted. There's a bounty out for him and several finder's fees up for grabs for the last few hauls he made."

Castle sprang from his spot on the couch where he had been watching Lily building with giant plastic bricks. "So if I can lure him back here and get the N.Y.P.D. to put the collar on him, that would be a triumph for RCI, and make a damn good story too."

"It would," Hayley allowed, "but be careful Castle. Under that suit, the man is deadly. He's never been nailed for them, but there have been several dead bodies at the scenes of heists with his M.O.. And his signature is a blade thin enough not to ruin the line of his jacket."

Castle shivered at the thought of Assange having been close to Lily and Kate. "Message received. And Hayley - thanks."

A/N Yes guest, I've bought enough houses to think about inspection even before you mentioned it. Saves a lot of grief. And other guest, I checked on the real estate prices. At least for now, they are accurate.


	98. Chapter 98

Life Goes On

Chapter 98

Castle puzzled over what to do. One thing he was sure of was that he wasn't going to wait to see if Assange broke into his home. He gave a few seconds of thought to shielding Kate from the situation, but he knew how furious she'd be if she found out, and the wrath of a doubly pregnant Kate Beckett was something he didn't even want to imagine. Her phone went to voice mail, so he sent her a text to get back to him as soon as she could. He added a 911.

Kate had convened an emergency meeting of the City Council. Negotiations with the sanitation workers had broken down and they were threatening a strike. The weather was rapidly warming and the implications for the citizens of New York of an accumulation of garbage were frightening. As usual, there were warring camps. One segment of the council wanted to dig in and give no concessions. They argued that deprived of their wages for any period of time, the workers would have to agree to whatever the city offered. The other camp wanted to do whatever it would take to head off the crisis.

A parade of witnesses were called. Representatives from the health department testified to hazards posed by the increase in the rodent and insect populations the buildup of garbage would cause. From other witnesses, interference with traffic and parking was discussed in agonizing detail. Between council members themselves, the budgetary issues were hotly argued.

By the time a vote could be taken to try to resurrect the contract negotiations, Kate was exhausted and desperately hungry. Over a dry burger and limp double fries in the cafeteria, Kate checked her messages. She immediately responded to the 911 from Castle, listening to his grim recounting of the information he'd received from Hayley. "Dammit Babe, we did not need this."

"Tell me about it," Castle responded, "but Kate, what do you want to do? Call the Twelfth? The FBI?"

Kate pushed her hair, thickened by pregnancy, out of her face. "Castle, this is going to involve both, plus Interpol since it's international. As a courtesy, the Twelfth is the place to start, since Assange showed up in their jurisdiction. I'll reach out to Captain Jeffords to get the ball rolling. I'm hoping the juice of my office will be enough to move things along, and if it isn't, I'll see if I can get Leticia to give the law enforcement bureaucracy an extra push. But right now, you do not let that man back in the loft, or give the okay for any supposed buyers to come through. Tell Eduardo not to let anyone up except Jinx, Hayley, and members of the family."

"I already told him that, Kate, but I'd feel much better with a security detail, especially with Lily here."

"I know Castle," Kate agreed, "As soon as we hang up I'll get Jeffords on the horn and ask him to send one. And if he's too slow, I'll call Gates. Then I'm coming home."

Kate let herself into the loft in mid afternoon. Lily was napping, but Castle, unable to concentrate on his writing, was pacing. He startled at the sound of the key, relieved when he saw Kate. "So, what did Jeffords say? Or more to the point, what did he do?"

"He had Espo double check what Hayley told you. Of course she was right. So there's a detail downstairs. But Castle, once things get organized with the other agencies, some form of trap will need to be set for Assange. You and Lily can't be anywhere around when that happens."

"And neither can you, Kate," Castle returned. "You're not a cop anymore. You're a very pregnant civilian. We should go to the Hamptons, all of us, as soon as Lily wakes up."

"Castle, I can't be that far from the city," Kate protested. "There's too much going on right now."

"Fine," Castle agreed, "I'll get us all a suite at the Four Seasons. They just refurbished a few of them specifically to be child safe. I heard that the families of the lead actors who were shooting the movie based on Crompton's book were in them. But that movie just wrapped, so with any luck, we can snag one."

Kate dropped wearily into a chair. "Okay, Castle. Give the hotel a call."

* * *

Castle toured the suite, his pocket full of emergency outlet protectors, just in case. There was no need. The hotel had covers in place. Hazards like the in-room coffee maker were out of reach and all electrical cords were tightly coiled to resist toddler tugs. The Castles had brought as many of Lily's toys as they could and the hotel had provided a crib for Lily's room. In addition there was a playroom accessible by hotel key, with appropriately sized play equipment. A story had been planted on the Richard Castle website that Castle had purchased several rare Poe manuscripts for his collection, each valued in excess of $300,000.

* * *

Castle's cell phone bleated the special alert he had had set for a call from Assange. Castle activated an app to record the call and he let the slimy voice flow through the speaker, allowing Kate to hear the exchange. Assange was inquiring when the Castles would be around to give tours of the loft. In agreement with a plan developed with the police and the FBI, Castle informed him that the family would be out of town for a few days, but that he'd contact Assange when they returned. Assange expressed disappointment, but told Castle he'd be waiting for his call.

Kate immediately notified the police and the FBI that Assange could be expected. Surveillance units were at ready. A flawlessly decked out Assange, carrying a small leather briefcase, arrived in early evening and cordially greeted the FBI agent who was dressed as a doorman. Assange quickly made his way to the Castle loft and proceeded to disable the security system and pick the lock. The lights in the loft were out and Assange used a small Mag Lite to find his way to Castle's office. He pulled back the large painting from behind Castle's desk, expecting to find a safe. The lights snapped on. Assange reached instinctively for his knife. "Looking for something?" an FBI agent inquired mildly from behind his drawn gun. "Show me your hands." Two other agents entered the room from the bedroom. Assange reluctantly dropped his blade and raised his arms.

* * *

Kate's cell buzzed as she scraped the last of the whipped cream from the plate of strawberry shortcake which had been provided by room service, along with the Chateaubriand for two and Lily's child sized Cornish hen. "They got him, Castle," Kate announced.

"Wow, I guess those Poe manuscripts were good cheese in the trap. I wish I had actually bought them. Imagine my Poe award in a case in front of them."

And one of those giant blow ups of your head behind them?" Kate jibed. "Manuscripts like that would probably be too fragile to read anyway, Castle, and isn't that the fun?"

"You're right," Castle admitted. "You know, I didn't think hiding from a thieving killer would be fun, but this has been. A great suite, with terrific food, and my beautiful wife and daughter. Not much could be better. And to top it off, with the bounty, we might even make money on the deal!"

"Money!" Lily declared jubilantly.

"Castle, before you guide our daughter completely down the materialistic path, we should go home," Kate opined.

Castle regarded the over-sized bed beckoning from across the room. "Kate, I think the morning will be soon enough. We're here to stop a crime and there is one luxury it would definitely be a crime to waste. After all, we came to prevent a crime, not commit one."

Kate gazed at the hopeful look in her husband's eyes. "You're right Castle. In the interests of our battle against crime, going home can wait until tomorrow.

A/N Sadly, I invented the child friendly suites, but this point in the story is years in the future, so who knows? If any of you have been following Artifex Prime on Twitter and enjoyed her drawings of Nathan, a pilot for her online store is up and there is a great print of her drawing of Castle in a scarf (1st season) for sale. I have one and it says Nathan to me more than any of the plain photos I have. Just check her Twitter feed for a link. I get nothing for saying this. Her work is just a great remembrance of both Castle and Firefly and fans may enjoy it. I do.


	99. Chapter 99

Life Goes On

Chapter 99

"Well, what do you see?" Castle prompted as Doctor Gershon moved her ultrasound wand over Kate's expanding belly.

"I see that the growth of the twins is within normal guidelines, actually at the high end. I don't see any malformations or reasons for concern," Gershon responded.

"That's great! But what are they?" Castle persisted.

"The way they're turned toward each other it's hard to... oh there!" Gershon turned the screen so Castle could see. "See those little...? They're boys."

Castle clapped his hands in triumph. "See Kate? Just like in my dream, twin boys."

"Castle, I haven't got a clue what to do with boys," Kate protested.

Castle smirked. "I disagree wholeheartedly. But in any case, we'll manage. After all, I was one."

Kate rolled her eyes. "And you haven't changed much. Alright Castle let's see how smug you are tonight."

"Oh yeah, everyone finally found room in their schedules to celebrate Alexis' engagement," Castle recalled, his smile fading.

"Uh huh, as if you could actually forget."

"Kate, Rick, I've finished the scan," Gershon interrupted. "Kate, I will see you next month, unless you have any concerns sooner. Have a good time tonight."

* * *

Castle scanned the back room of Semya, the family restaurant Alexis and Sergei had chosen. The decorations had an Eastern European theme. Castle particularly admired the sets of nesting dolls, for which he had an affection dating back to an early case with Kate. Several tables had been pushed together to accommodate the gathering. Castle sat at one end, with Lily in a high chair next to him, flanked by Kate. Timothy Kasparov, Sergei's father, sat at the other end with his wife Sarah. Alexis and Sergei each sat dead center on opposite sides, with the rest of the seats being filled by Jim and Martha, Hayley, the Ryans, Esposito and Maria, and the rest with Sergei's siblings Tatiana, Svetlana, Bob, George, and Tom.

Lily was totally delighted with tiny pancakes and bits and pieces off of her parents' plates. The rest of the diners were enjoying various versions of shish kebab, heavy on the meat, except for the two vegetarians at the table, Bob and George, whose skewers were mostly filled with mushrooms. "So Kate," Sarah asked, "when are you due? It looks like you have a few months to go."

"By my doctor's best estimate I actually have almost five months to go," Kate admitted wryly. "It's going to be twins."

"Boys," Castle added, grinning.

Sarah nodded. "I understand. Bob and Tom may not look it, but they were twins. By the end I was beginning to think I'd need a foghorn to warn people I was coming. Obviously you're still working. There are comments about you on the editorial page all the time. You do provoke some controversy. How long do you plan to continue?"

"As long as I can," Kate replied. "My term isn't up until about a month after my due date."

"And you're not running again?" Timothy inquired.

"No," Kate responded, and Castle picked up the conversation with an outline of Fill the Cracks Foundation.

"But," Castle added, "we aren't here to talk about that, we're here to celebrate Alexis' and Sergei's engagement. We should be asking about their plans." He locked eyes with his older daughter. "So what are they?"

"Sergei and I will be moving in together," Alexis explained. "His apartment is bigger, so I'll be joining him. And the summer is such a busy time for weddings, everything is booked already, so we were thinking fall, maybe around Halloween." Her eyes narrowed. "Dad - don't even think about severed heads!"

Castle's eyes widened with feigned innocence. "Never would have occurred to me. You know, if you want to, you could get married at the Hamptons house like Kate and I did or if you want something closer, Kate and I should be moved into the house in Fieldston by then. The grounds are beautiful and the living room is huge."

"Actually we thought we'd go more traditional for the service," Alexis explained. "Sergei grew up in the St. Nicholas Cathedral where Sarah and Timothy are part of the congregation. It's beautiful, Dad. The liturgical language is Slavonic but they can do the ceremony in English. And afterward we thought we'd go modern on the reception. There's hotel not too far away where we can book a ballroom." Alexis nodded across the table at her fellow PI. "Hayley knows a great band."

"You've really thought about this, haven't you?" Castle realized.

"Yeah Dad, we have," Alexis confirmed.

Castle grabbed for the support of Kate's hand under the table. "Well it sounds like it's going to be great, just great!"

* * *

Special Agent Will Sorenson didn't like the way things were going. As usual, the FBI transport for the prisoner was a black SUV that moved clumsily through the crawling traffic on the way to Kennedy Airport. Negotiations with the Europeans had been a pain in the ass, but in the end it was decided that Jacques Assange would be extradited to Germany, where they had the strongest case against him. That meant that someone would have to accompany the slick bastard and Will had drawn the short straw. There would be a long flight attached to total smarm, but Will had at least been able to beg business class out of the bureau, so he wouldn't have his knees under his chin for eight hours.

Not only did traffic show no signs of speeding up, it came to a grinding halt as two cars collided ahead. "Damn!" Will muttered under his breath, "if we miss this flight we'll have to make arrangements with everyone in Europe all over again. He winced at the thought and pulled out his phone to call in the accident and check flight schedules, hoping there had been a delay at the airport as well. Men jumped out of cars behind and beside the SUV, smashing windows and shooting Will and the driver. Assange was pulled out and hustled to another car waiting on the shoulder leading to an off ramp.

* * *

Lily was fussy and sleepy by the time Kate and Castle returned to the loft. As Castle carried her, she'd pressed her head against his shoulder and grasped fistfuls of his shirt and jacket. Kate's cell buzzed. "You go ahead and take that, I'll put her to bed," Castle offered. He carefully slipped off the frock Kate had dressed Lily in for the occasion and replaced it with pajamas dedicated to the newest Disney princess. Kissing the top of her head, he laid her in her crib where she immediately curled around her long suffering and much washed purple elephant.

Castle returned to the great room to find that Kate had sunk into a chair, her phone still grasped in her hand. "What's wrong?"

The FBI was transporting Jacques Assange to the airport for extradition. Their car was attacked and Assange escaped. Two agents were shot; one of them was Will Sorenson," Kate reported grimly.

"Your old FBI squeeze. Is he all right?"

Kate closed her eyes and shook her head. "This is two of our cases that got him shot. But he's dead this time, Castle. Both agents are dead. You remember when Will invited me to his wedding? He got married a few weeks after we did. He left a wife and a son."

Castle knelt and gathered his wife into his arms. "Kate we'll do whatever we can for them. I don't know what else to say except I'm sorry."


	100. Chapter 100

Life Goes On

Chapter 100

Rain pelted from the sky like angry tears. Black umbrellas as dark as the ubiquitous SUV's formed a roof over the sea of FBI agent's flanking Rose Sorenson and her family. Tightly holding her baby son Gerald, the widow huddled under the protection of the fabric, as the minister recited his prayers. His words gave scant comfort. She had always known it could happen. But Will hadn't been walking into a potential shootout, he'd just been accompanying a prisoner. In the midst of bottles and diapers, she hadn't been worried about his mission. She'd barely kissed him goodbye. Had she kissed him goodbye at all? She couldn't remember. And now she'd never have another chance. She'd been told that a fund had been started for her, sparked by an anonymous donor. Most of Will's friends needed every dollar they earned, except for one old girlfriend - or her husband. So Rose had a suspicion as to where the money might have come from, and she appreciated the gesture, but it changed nothing. She would be raising Gerald alone. The hot moisture on her face had nothing to do with the rain.

Kate watched from the back of the gathering. With one hand, Castle held an over-sized umbrella over both of them, while his other hand supported her at what now passed for her waist. She understood how Rose Sorenson must be feeling. She recalled the renting of her soul when she'd seen Castle's car aflame and believed he'd been in it. It had been renewed when Castle struggled for life after they'd been shot. But Castle had survived, Will had not. If she and Castle hadn't set the trap for Assange, would Will be still be alive? There was no way to know. She only knew that guilt surrounded her like a smothering shroud. As gloom enveloped Kate, the twins were kicking. But the reminder of new life amidst death only increased her distress.

The service ended and Castle joined the solemn caravan of cars snaking away from the cemetery, headlights attempting to pierce the water saturated air. "Shall I drop you at your office or do you want to go home?" Castle asked.

The afternoon was almost over and at that moment, Kate couldn't imagine facing the barrage of complaints that would come across her desk if she returned to it. She shivered beneath the damp that had penetrated the somber suit she wore. "Home, but Castle, can we just stop somewhere first and get something warm?"

"Of course," he agreed. "Decaf or hot chocolate?"

"I could definitely use the chocolate." Kate confessed.

* * *

The furnishings in the little diner had obviously seen better days. The sheen was gone from the vinyl in the booths and the surface of the tables had paled under decades of scrubbing. Still, even in late afternoon, it was packed. The rich aroma of fresh brewed coffee warmed air sweetened with the scent of newly baked pies. Kate sipped at her hot chocolate while Castle warmed his face in the steam rising from his over-sized cup. Kate laid an unconscious hand over her belly and sighed. "Castle, Will and the other agent died for nothing. Assange is still out there."

Castle reached out to touch her arm. "Not for nothing, Kate. Every agent, every cop is energized. They will take him down and this time he'll stay in the U.S., for conspiracy in a double murder. He'll be put away for the rest of his life."

"He could be already out of the country Castle. He has the resources. He could be anywhere. And even if they do get him, Rose will still be without a husband and Gerald without a father." Kate's saucer rattled as she smacked the table. "It's not fair!"

"You're right Kate, it isn't. But it's life, and the only way to defeat the worst parts of it is to live as well and as fully as we can, and help others do the same. Otherwise, Assange won't have just taken Will's life, he'll have sucked away some of yours as well. Castle cupped her face in his palm, letting his thumb caress her cheek. Kate, you let Bracken suck you dry for years. Don't give Assange the same chance."

Kate reached over to pushed a damp errant strand from his forehead. "Babe, I won't."

* * *

Alexis looked up from the book she was reading on her I-pad as her father and Kate came through the door. "Lily's asleep. She wanted to dance the Batty-Bat with Count von Count about ten times and he one two threed her to exhaustion. I think she has your feel for the macabre, Dad. Count von Count seems to be her favorite Sesame Street character."

"He certainly gives Elmo a run for his money," Castle mused, "but I think he's still neck and neck with Cookie Monster. Thank you for staying with your sister, Sweetie. Your Gram was going to do it, but she had a last minute emergency rehearsal."

"No problem, might as well get in all the practice I can," Alexis replied.

Castle recoiled in mock horror. "You and Sergei are planning to make me a grandfather so soon?"

"Relax Dad, we won't try until after we're married, and who knows how long it will take then? But family is very important to both of us. We both have solid careers and mine is pretty flexible. RCI is already set up for baby care, so there's really no reason not to give it a shot. I'm looking forward to having a baby. And he or she will have an aunt and uncles to play with."

Castle pretended to limp feebly across the room. "Still, I think I just gained ten years. You want to stay for dinner while your old father can still lift a frying pan?"

"No thanks. Sergei and I have plans. Actually we have a planning session. The hotel has three ballrooms available for our date, we're looking at Saturday November 2. We have to figure out which one we want for the reception. We have to book right away or we risk losing the room. Then we have to figure out how we're going to have it set up, what the menu will be. There are just tons of details. I did planning before, for the two of you, but this is so much more."

"Tell me about it," Castle commiserated. "Okay, you let me know if you need any help with anything. My checkbook is available."

Alexis pulled on her raincoat. "Thanks Dad, I will, but I think we've got it handled." Alexis waved her way out the door.

"A funeral and a wedding, a study in life's contrasts," Castle commented. "One is not as depressing as the other, but you know what? We both need a distraction, something completely removed from reality. How about a Nebula Nine marathon? We can watch for a little while. Then when Lily wakes up I can make some of that spaghetti with the tiny meatballs she likes. It will be great in this weather. After supper we can let her play near us with her puzzles and her blocks and that new learning game she has, while we watch some more. And when she's finally ready to drop off again, we can curl up too. Outer space cuddle-a-thon?"

"Alright Castle," Kate agreed. "Right now I really hope that fortune guides our journey."


	101. Chapter 101

Life Goes On

Chapter 101

At seven-thirty A.M.,when Kate came into the kitchen, Lily was skillfully spooning oat ring cereal into her mouth and Castle was just ending a call on his cell. "What's up Babe?" she queried.

"Hayley's been checking with her contacts in Europe. There's been so sign of Assange."

Kate nodded. "From the murmurs I heard at the funeral, the FBI scrubbed all the TSA video from Kennedy, La Guardia, and Newark, with facial recognition software. They got nothing. Of course he still could have gone out on a private plane from Teterboro. TSA wouldn't have checked. But it sounds like he's found a hole here somewhere."

"He'll have to stick his head out eventually," Castle asserted. "And the FBI is known for their patience. Too much patience if you ask me, but I don't hear the bureau doing so. What's your agenda in the battle for justice this morning?"

"Even with the sanitation workers still on the job, there have been slowdowns in parts of the city, the parts that no one wants to think about, like the South Bronx. We're coordinating with public health to keep hazards from developing - any more hazards than there already are up there, anyway. And along that same tack, I've got a meeting with Gates to see if we can improve both police presence and police relations in the area."

"Sounds like a full day," Castle offered.

"It is," Kate confirmed, "but right now it's good to keep my mind occupied. What are you going to be doing?

"I'm working on a new chapter in Sammy and we have some potential buyers for this place coming for a look see. No more faux realtors; Mona's bringing them. And Jenny is dropping Sarah Grace and Nicolas over for a play date," Castle added. "Alexis isn't the only one who can use practice. I'll get a preview of chasing after three. If you find me twitching weakly on the floor when you get home, just administer coffee intravenously."

Kate couldn't help smiling. "I'll keep that in mind, Castle.

* * *

Castle needed more than coffee. Nicholas had managed to detach an ear from Lily's purple elephant and Castle was endeavoring to reattach it while his daughter's wails assaulted his eardrums. Sarah Grace took it upon herself to discipline her brother, smacking him on his ear, and his protests joined Lily's to rattle the walls.

Mona could hear the cacophony through the door. She pasted a smile on her face and turned to her clients. "Sounds like someone is having a rough morning. Well, there's nothing like a dose of reality when you're looking at a potential home." Saying a silent prayer, she pressed the doorbell.

Castle opened the door with a tearful Lily in his arms, and clutching the under repair elephant. "Hi, I'm Richard Castle," he greeted his visitors, "author and stuffed animal rehabilitation service. Mona, as you can hear, we're having a minor calamity, which will require my immediate distribution of unhealthy snacks. You know where everything is, feel free to look around."

"Mr. and Mrs. Bluestein, perhaps it would be better if we started upstairs," Mona proposed, not waiting for an answer before she led the way to the upper level.

Castle plied the kids with peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. When the sound of crunching replaced plaintive cries, he firmly secured the elephant's ear, using survival sewing skills learned in his starving student days.

By the time Mona brought the Bluesteins back to the lower level, they were already clearly charmed by the loft. Golda Bluestein further noted the details in the kitchen and especially the nursery, admiring the built in storage. Morey Bluestein shook hands with Castle before they left. "Golda and I have six grandchildren, Mr. Castle. You have our sympathies and our prayers."

* * *

The working class neighborhood on Staten Island was the last place anyone would have expected to find Jacques Assange, which in his mind made it almost the perfect place to be. He was not fond of adopting a casual level of dress, but the suits and well crafted shoes he preferred would have stood out like a sore thumb, so he suffered through in a plaid shirt, jeans, and work boots. He'd also darkened and thickened his eyebrows and left his hair deliberately askew from its normally perfect coif. Seated on a stool in Four Balls, eyes were not on him but rather on the baseball game playing on the large screens mounted strategically around the room. The place was hardly haute cuisine, but the chips were crisp, the wings spicy, and the drinks un-watered.

Jacques had plans to make. Sooner or later he would have to leave the states. The FBI agents thirsty for his blood weren't too bright. They hadn't a clue where to look for him. But even the bureau got lucky sometimes. Hadn't they had a hundred agents looking in the wrong state for the Unibomber, but caught him because he was turned in by his own brother? And there was Jordan Shaw, the exception to cheap suits and muddled brains. She was good, she was determined, she was smart, and she was on his case. She also had a history with the Castles. The Castles were at the root of his misery. He had been making great scores, a steady stream of income for both him and his associates, when they'd cut him off at the knees. It wouldn't have happened if his informant hadn't been sent on a temporary mission to Idaho, but it did. The Castles' betrayal was a debt that could not go unpaid, and he would collect his due. There was no way he could go back to the loft. After his debacle there, there was too much of a chance of being recognized. But there was a better way. Kate Beckett couldn't be a much easier target. Every meeting with her constituents or fellow council members was proclaimed on the website of the Public Advocate's Office. Jacques had only to pick the right time and the right place, And the death of his pregnant wife would be a much richer punishment than the writer's own demise. Jacques would be patient, but he would kill Kate Beckett and then he would disappear, with the rest of the world as a hunting ground and refuge.

* * *

Jordan Shaw presided over a meeting in the war room of the special task force to capture Jacques Assange. She had no shortage of resources. The bureau had been shocked and embarrassed both that Assange had been so easily freed and that two of their agents had paid with their lives. But she was also afraid the bureau had a mole or at least a leak. How else would Assange have known how to set up the accident that resulted in his escape and the agents' deaths?

The task force was proceeding along all their usual routes to track Assange. Transportation was surveyed and a raft of informants were employed. So far they'd turned up nothing. Jordan was not surprised. Assange was smart and obviously knew how to hide. If they couldn't find out where he was, they needed to figure out where he was going. The trail of bodies ascribed to Jacques in Europe had been attributed to one motive, revenge. The victims were people who had allegedly gotten in Assange's way. If Assange had not left the country, it was likely he had the same motive for staying, and his two most likely targets would be Kate Beckett and Richard Castle. Of the two, Kate was by far the most likely. Somehow Jordan would have to find a way to capture Assange before he struck, but she'd have to do it without her plans falling victim to a leak. For that, she would need some help - from the Castles.


	102. Chapter 102

Life Goes On

Chapter 102

Kate was surprised to hear from Jordan Shaw. As a civilian, her contacts with the FBI regarding Assange had been lower level, but she was grateful to know the FBI was employing their best to hunt Assange down. It was a further surprise when Jordan requested a meeting with Kate and Castle, not in the offices of the FBI, but at Richard Castle Investigations. It was set for that evening.

Almost as exhausted as her father, Lily fell asleep in the safe room at RCI, monitored by Castle on his phone, while Jordan, Kate, and Rick gathered around a table in reception. "Have these offices been scanned for bugs?" Jordan asked.

"There's a sniffer that will automatically send an alert to all our phones and to the computer system if one's detected, Castle replied. "Hayley Shipton, one of our partners, thrives on paranoia."

"Good for her," Jordan responded. "Fine, I'll give it to you straight. I don't trust my own people. The attack on Sorenson and Willig never should have happened. The only way it could have is if Assange had someone inside. I've been studying Assange, and Kate, my profile leads me to believe that he is likely to come after you."

"Sonofabitch!" Castle exclaimed.

Jordan nodded. "Agreed, the man is slime, but he is very clever slime, so we need to get ahead of him. And we have to do it without tipping him off. You have operatives?"

"I do," Castle replied, "or more accurately Hayley does. We'll need to bring her in on this, and my daughter Alexis as well, she's managing partner at Richard Castle Investigations now."

"Wow, they do grow up don't they," Jordan remarked. "Your daughter was a teenager when we worked together before, and now she's what? In her twenties? And my daughter is a young woman as well. She'll be in college soon. But yes. Bring them in. Rick, we'll need people watching Kate and it would be wise to have someone on you as well. You remember my partner Jason Avery? He's one person in the bureau I know I can trust. Either he or I will stay in close contact with your people at all times. If Assange acts as I'm predicting, we'll be ready to collar him. And this time he won't get away."

* * *

Reese Perkins and Jake Pullman weren't twins, they weren't even related, but they could have been. They were both well over six feet tall with similar coloring, wide shoulders, and quick reflexes. They were also experts both with firearms and in the martial arts. Hayley had worked with them on and off through the years and RCI now offered them fairly steady employment. Hayley assigned them to be Kate's guardian angels whenever Kate was outside the confines of the loft or the multi-layers of city security at her office. Hayley also upgraded both the security system and the locks at the loft. It was unlikely, but if Assange tried to invade the Castles' home again, he would have a very difficult time.

Kate and Castle had transferred their weapons to portable gun safes, kept easily accessible to them through fingerprint ID, but not to curious child fingers. Kate kept a weapon in her office as well. Castle hated having to even think about a threat to his family. When Kate left police work, he'd hoped she'd left criminal threats to her safety behind. His stomach twisted at the thought that Assange could even be in the same city, but he was ready. Kate, Hayley, Alexis, Jordan, and Avery were all ready. Now they waited, and that was the most difficult part.

* * *

In the abandoned boat shack that was serving as his headquarters, Assange perused the Public Advocate's website. Kate had few appearances scheduled, but she would be giving a press conference the following day. The confusion in the assemblage, with reporters shouting questions and dividing her attention, would be a time of vulnerability. With his skills, counterfeiting a press credential would be child's play. He could cover his hair with a wig and disguise himself well enough to go unnoticed until it was too late. As a pushy reporter in a crowd of pushy reporters trying get in one last question; he could plunge his blade into her ripe belly and slip away again in the confusion. He would have a car waiting for the short trip to a boat which take him back to his makeshift lair until he arranged passage out of the country. A luxury cruise picked up in the islands, away from prying eyes, would be nice. There would be good food and wine, and rich passengers ready to assess as future targets. Jacques stroked his finely honed knife affectionately. Yes, That would be a journey to enjoy.

* * *

Jake and Reese scanned the crowd. There were a couple of reporters who were the right height and weight to be Jacques Assange. They would have to be carefully watched. Jordan Shaw and Jason Avery were parked at a distance, ready to give chase if it proved necessary. The pieces deep in all of Kate's protectors' ears would maintain two way communication.

Kate began her statement, explaining that the parties were working as hard as possible to reach an agreement that would be satisfactory to all involved. She went on that there were a number of issues to resolve regarding working hours, wages, and determination of seniority for choice of routes, but she wanted to assure the public that no strike was imminent.

As reporters shouted questions, Assange began to ease his way closer and closer to Kate. His movements did not go unnoticed by Jake and Reese. Finally Nettie called a halt to the questioning and Kate began to move away from the portable podium. Assange surged toward her, his knife releasing from a spring loaded scabbard on his wrist. His arm was grabbed and forced behind him by Jake, dislocating the attacker's shoulder. As Assange screamed in pain, the blade dropped from his hand. Reese carefully picked it up, dropping it in a bag he drew from his pocket. Reese bound a whimpering Assange's wrists with a steel reinforced nylon tie and the twin guardians herded him toward the waiting Shaw and Avery.

* * *

Castle flipped off the video of the news coverage of Kate's press conference and Assange's capture, and checked an email on his phone. "It's from Jordan," he relayed. "Assange flipped on his informant in the FBI. Turns out the two of them did a stint together in one of those military schools where parents send their kids to straighten them out. Obviously it didn't take. He rolled on the men who shot Sorenson and Willig too. Anything to save his own worthless neck."

"Speaking of saving necks," Kate interjected, "Jake and Reese did a great job today. They let Assange get close enough to reveal himself, but not close enough to use his knife."

"For which I will be eternally grateful," Castle responded. "They will both be getting a fat bonus check from RCI."

"I was thinking of something else too, Castle. They are so much like twins. We can decide on middle names later but what if we name our twins Jake and Reese after the two men who protected them and me?" Kate offered.

Castle pulled her in for a heartfelt kiss. "I think that's an outstanding idea."


	103. Chapter 103

Life Goes On

Chapter 103

Castle hosted the party at The Old Haunt for Jinx's friends and family, with mixed feelings. He was happy that her dissertation had been a success, especially since Lily had been such a major part of it, but Lily would miss her and he would miss having such a creative and reliable sitter. Jinx had said she would stay in touch, but Castle didn't know how much weight to give to the promise. Young people have a way of moving on. She had, however, recommended another student to spend time with Lily, one who was supposed to be due at the party at any moment.

Lagi Latu's arrival could not go unnoticed. The three hundred pound Samoan would stand out in any crowd. He wore a Hawaiian shirt glowing with brightly colored parrots and his broad face glowed even more brightly with a wide grin. Lily had met him before during her visits to the university with Jinx. "Down!" she demanded from Castle, who had been keeping her out of trouble astride his shoulders. "Lagi!" As soon as her feet touched the ground she ran to the large but welcoming presence.

Lagi easily scooped her up and holding her in one arm he extended a hand that engulfed Castle's. "Mr. Castle, I'm so glad to meet you. Lily is a joy and I just finished Colin's Pen. It was a great read and very insightful. That's an unusual combination. I understand that you are looking for someone to have the privilege of working with Lily in your home."

Castle beamed at his daughter, ecstatic in the crook of Lagi's elbow."A privilege indeed, and yes," Castle confirmed. "You come highly recommended. You have Jinx's approval and obviously you have Lily's. One complication is that our family will be moving from Manhattan to Fieldston in Riverdale fairly soon."

"That's not a complication for me," Lagi explained. "I live in Riverdale. My parents bought a house there when I was a child. My brother and I have an apartment not far from them now. If anything, working there will be easier for me than working in Manhattan. And I can jump on a train to get up there if I'm coming from the university."

Castle worked hard to suppress a laugh at the visual that invaded his mind. "Fine. My wife Kate and Lily and I will probably be up there in a couple of months or so. You should meet my wife. She's here somewhere." Castle looked around the room. Kate was in a booth sipping a juice drink with her feet up on the bench opposite her. "There she is." Castle led the way.

Kate looked up at the large Samoan casually cradling her daughter, while Castle made introductions. Lily pointed to the parrots on Lagi's shirt. "Mama see birds?"

"I see them, Lily," Kate responded, thinking that was hardly all she could see. One thing was sure, no matter how big Jake and Reese made her, next to Lagi, she'd look petite. The idea was strangely comforting.

 _Home on the Range_ suddenly emanated from Castle's pocket. "That's my ring tone for our real estate agent," Castle explained. "Excuse me." He moved away to talk to Mona, leaving Lagi to chat with Kate.

"Mr. Castle," Mona gushed, "I have a great offer on your loft I'd like to present to you. When will you and your wife be available?"

Castle checked his watch. It was six P.M. and the party was scheduled to run for another hour. He would definitely need time to settle Lily down afterward. "Eight?" he suggested. Mona agreed.

* * *

Castle and Kate were drawing a breath, with a tired but happy Lily in her crib, when Mona rang the doorbell. The agent swept into the loft bearing a folder. She handed copies of the offer to both Castle and Kate."

Castle scanned the first page. "Six five. That's a good offer. Oh, M. Bluestein, I guess Lily and her vandal horde didn't scare Morey and Golda off."

"Actually," Mona explained, "the offer isn't from Morey and Golda, it's from their son Monty and his wife. Monty and Laura have been in England. Laura was supervising a corporate subsidiary there and Monty was teaching at Oxford. Laura will be taking over a division here and working out of the New York office and Monty has been offered a position at Columbia. The senior Bluesteins were just house hunting for them. But Monty and Laura will be returning in two months, so they're looking for a sixty day closing. Of course you will be closing on the Fieldston house before that, but that sale is not contingent on this one. I trust that won't be a problem."

"It won't," Castle assured her. "it will give us time to get the Fieldston house ready before we move."

Mona handed Castle a clipboard. "Excellent! Then if you'll sign your acceptance, I'll start an escrow with their deposit and we'll be all set."

Castle took a wistful glance around the loft, affixed his signature and handed the board back to Mona, who started for the door. "You two have a great evening."

"Castle," Kate wondered after Mona left, "shouldn't you have had your lawyer look at that? Six and a half million dollars is a hell of a lot of money."

"I will," Castle assured her, "but there's a three day escape clause, just like the sellers had on the Fieldston house. I'll scan the offer and email it to him in the morning. And Kate, did you notice? There were almost no conditions. I guess the market is hot enough that the Bluesteins were afraid of losing the place."

"How about you, Castle? How do you feel about losing the place?" Kate asked, laying her head against his shoulder. "For a moment there, it looked like you were having second thoughts."

"More like the sudden descent of the weight of memories," Castle confessed. "Alexis grew up here. I remember every Halloween costume, every Christmas tree, every Father's Day. And I remember the night you came to me out of the storm. You were soaking wet, and bruised and battered in body and spirit. I had been waiting four years and I just wanted to consume you the way you consumed me. It was the first time you were in my bed and I wanted you there forever. I still do. We conceived Lily here, and the twins. We fought, we made up, we even let our lives be run by a computer for a while. It's a lot to leave behind. But we'll be starting a whole new chapter, a couple of new books, really. That's always unnerving but always exciting too. Change is even more inevitable than taxes - especially if you have a good accountant," he quipped.

"But how about you?" he queried. "You've lived your whole life in Manhattan, not that Fieldston is that far away, but in terms of atmosphere it might as well be a different country. And you'll be facing even more changes than I will. I've already changed what I'm writing, so that will continue for me. But it will be very different for you. You've worked for the City of New York your entire adult life. You will be continuing to serve the public but you will no longer be a public servant. The bureaucracy the has constrained you has also supported you. That will be gone. You'll be choosing your own causes, deciding on your own path. That has be unnerving for you too."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Not nearly as unnerving as the thought of having twins. Fill the Cracks is the least of my worries right now. I just need to get through this pregnancy and finish my term - if I can. Whether I do that here or living in the new Castles' Castle, makes no difference, as long as I know you and Lily are there with me."

Castle pulled her into his arms. "Of that, you can have no doubt."


	104. Chapter 104

Life Goes On

Chapter 104

Sending his lawyer the offer on the loft was not the only paperwork Castle did the next morning. He had already checked for a criminal record, but he sent an email to Alexis requesting deep background on Lagi Latu. Recommendation from Jinx or not, where Lily was concerned he couldn't be too careful.

Lily had moved up to puzzles labeled for difficulty at the six year old level. She picked one with a picture of Mulan. After carefully checking there were no pieces small enough to swallow, Castle proudly let her work on it at his feet, while he researched less than successful interventions that might have been tried on his protagonist. He was interrupted by an alert of a message from Alexis. She wanted to talk about Lagi.

Castle attempted to swallow his stomach back where it belonged. It would have been easy for Alexis to send him a thumbs up and attach a report. That she wanted to have a conversation seemed ominous. He decided that face to face would be the best way to go.

"Lily, we're going to go see Alexis," he informed his younger daughter.

"Puzzle!" Lily protested. "Lexis later."

Castle noted there were only a few pieces left to fit in place. "You can finish the puzzle," he allowed, "then you can wear your new shoes."

Lily had fallen in love with a pair of sneakers with LEDs that flashed as she walked. Her face screwed up in concentration as she hurried to finish her task.

"New shoes!" she repeated when she'd completed the image of her heroine, springing to the balls of the bare feet she usually preferred when in the loft.

Castle was further delayed when Lily insisted on attempting to tie her own shoes. Jinx had taught her the two loop method. The bows she finally managed were uneven, but would not deteriorate into knots. She danced in pride before offering her hand for Castle to hold while they walked to the car.

The trip to RCI was short and Alexis was waiting at her desk. She suggested going to the safe room so Lily could play with the stash of toys there while they talked. "Alexis, you know she picks up on everything. Is it a good idea for her to hear this?"

"It's a great idea, Dad," Alexis opined. "Lagi is really pretty amazing."

Castle let out his breath. "Wow. That's not what I thought you were going to tell me. Alright, what's his story?"

"Well, he was telling you the truth about growing up in Riverdale. He went to Horace Mann for High School."

"Good, but expensive," Castle commented. "Even more so than your esteemed Marlowe Prep."

Alexis nodded. "Apparently it stretched his parents to the limit. While he was in the high school in Riverdale, Lagi started working at the Horace Mann nursery school in Manhattan. That must be where he fell in love with the kids. He was offered a football scholarship for college, no surprise given the way he's built, but he didn't take it. Instead he put together an app to help parents find the right things for their toddlers and preschoolers. It covers sitters, food, toys, doctors, schools - everything. It's been very successful and he's made enough money off it to finance college and graduate school. He's been working on some of the same programs Jinx was at the university and he's on the road to setting up an experimental early education school of his own. He's already attracted the interest of a couple investors. They're poised to jump in as soon as he finishes his doctorate. He's probably got a year or two to go. Honestly Dad, he may be even more of a find than Jinx was. The only thing I can find to worry about is that he might be looking to tag you as another investor."

"Well if he's as good with Lily as he seems to be, he just might succeed," Castle offered. "His school could be a great place for her, and later even for the twins. Anyway that's great news. Can I repay your efforts by taking you to lunch?"

"Thanks Dad, but I have to meet Sergei. We're going to use his lunch break to taste wedding cakes. Rain check?"

"Of course. Anytime. Don't go into sugar shock," he cautioned. Castle looked down at his younger daughter, surrounded by Disney plushies. "Lily, put the toys away. We're going home."

Lily stuck out her lower lip in a way that was eerily reminiscent of Kate. "Stay with Lexis. Play."

"Mac and cheese?" Castle offered.

Lily considered for a moment. "Daddy mac and cheese," she agreed.

* * *

Alexis felt like she'd stepped into a bride-to-be wonderland. Glass cases at Kerry's Cascade of Cakes displayed designs from formal to whimsical, featuring themes of everything from football to fashion. The proprietress, Kerry Dundee, wore long red braids wrapped around her head like a crown. Her expression was unsmiling, but her eyes twinkled. "I received your questionnaires," she reported. "Your interests in detective work are unusual but not entirely new to me. I did a cake not long ago for a wedding held at the local chapter of the Baker Street Irregulars. It was in the shape of a deerstalker hat. But I have an idea you might consider as an alternative. Since detective work is all about uncovering secrets, how about a cake concealing secrets within?"

"What kind of secrets?" Alexis inquired, wary of a guest chipping a tooth on some buried clue.

"Patches of surprise flavors," Kerry explained. "Cardamon hidden in vanilla, cinnamon buried in chocolate. There are a multitude of options for both the wedding cake and the groom's cake. It would be more subtle, but still lend an air of mystery. I have prepared samples for you to taste."

Alexis and Sergei looked at each other. "That might go over better with some of my relatives, especially the more traditional ones," Sergei offered. "I'd like to explore all our options."

"It does sound interesting," Alexis agreed.

Kerry pointed the way to a table where small portions of cake waited. "Excellent, this way."

"Sergei dug into a midnight chocolate cake injected with a spice filling. "This is amazing," he commented.

Alexis explored a sample with mixed flavors of banana, cinnamon, and butterscotch. "So is this."

Kerry handed them each rating sheets. Go through all the samples and we'll figure out what tops your list. If we're lucky, your tastes may even agree, or we can combine a couple of things to reach a consensus."

After Kerry had collected their ratings to collate their choices, Alexis and Sergei headed down the sidewalk to a food truck to consume some actual nourishment before returning to work. Alexis gazed curiously at her fiancé. "You have the strangest smile on your face."

Sergei giggled. "Do I? I think there must have been nutmeg in that spice filling - a lot of nutmeg."

Alexis gazed at him in confusion. She'd heard a lot of things come out of his mouth, but never a giggle. "You're not allergic to it are you? You've never mentioned it to me and you didn't put it on the information sheet you filled out for Kerry."

"Not allergic," Sergei explained, "just sensitive. It gives some people a boost."

"I know. My father has it in his coffee sometimes when he wants to stay up all night."

"It can even be a hallucinogen in large quantities," Sergei added. "But it just makes me high - and horny." Sergei glance at his watch. "It's too bad I only have a few minutes left before I have to go back to work. I'd like nothing more than to get you in that secret room at RCI and practice for the honeymoon."

"It is too bad," Alexis agreed. "Practice does make perfect."

Sergei gave her an exaggerated nod. "You're pretty perfect already."

Alexis answered with a New York sidewalk kiss. "Nutmeg, I'll have to remember that."


	105. Chapter 105

Life Goes On

Chapter 105

With Lily at his heels, Lagi filled the space in front of Castle's desk. "Mr. Castle, I thought I'd start Lily on a second language. At her age, she'll be able to learn it like breathing. She could very easily manage a third before she starts first grade."

Castle looked up from his typing, stopping in the middle of a sentence. "What language did you have in mind and how many do you speak?"

"Fluently, only three," Lagi admitted, as if it was a deficiency. "English of course and a Somoan dialect my parents use, and Spanish; it's hard to get along teaching kids in New York without it. But I've been working on Mandarin, and I thought Lily could start with either Spanish or that. She's already picking up some Spanish from Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer and I've found some great videos to teach kids Mandarin. Either way she'll have a good time while she learns. That's a great motivator."

"How about if you start with Spanish then," Castle suggested. "I learned Latin, which with the exception of helping to solve a really cool case, has been far from useful. I have a smattering of French and Alexis does pretty well with it, which is a mixed blessing when her mother or my mother take her on shopping trips to Paris. Kate speaks Russian. But there's always room for romance in the Castle household, Romance languages included. Maybe Lily can figure out what the secret menu is at Tico Taco."

"Tacos?" Lily asked hopefully. Lagi grinned down at her. "maybe we can make some for lunch." He looked back at Castle. "I'm familiar with the place and I can tell you their secret. If you order in Spanish, the tacos have real meat in them. If they peg you for a tourist, it's mostly soy, and without the good hot sauce."

Castle nodded. "Good to know. Okay. Go ahead. Teach my daughter to detect taco treachery."

* * *

Doctor Gershon frowned as she scanned the readings of Kate's vitals her nurse had recorded. "Kate, I don't like your blood pressure. I know you have a stressful job and we've seen some highs and lows, but this is quite a jump and it's edging into dangerous territory. I want you to lie back for a few minutes. Look at the poster on the ceiling. Do some yoga breathing, think calm thoughts and we'll see if it comes down."

Left alone in the exam room, Kate stared up at the picture of the waterfall. It didn't do much for her, other than making her want to pee. She was glad Castle wasn't with her at the appointment. He would have jumped out of his skin. He'd wanted to come. He always wanted to come. But this was supposed to just be a routine check, a quick in and out, and Castle was due to take his contractor to the Fieldston house to outline what would have to be done before they could move in. He had arranged for Lily to be with Lagi and Kate didn't want to screw up his plans. She had been having a frantic morning at the office. That could be all that was going on. She breathed in and out slowly, trying to clear her mind. Jake and Reese were playing a game of kick the mommy. It wasn't helping.

Gershon returned to take another reading. "Kate you're down, but not as much as you should be after resting. I want you to take a few days off. Go to bed and stay there except when you need to use the bathroom. Watch your salt. Let that attentive husband of yours wait on you. Check your pressure morning and evening. Rick can get one of those automatic digital gauges for you at the drug store. Bring it with you when you come back. I'm going to want to check the memory. Then we'll see if things are under control."

Kate sighed. "Can't you give me a pill or something? I don't have time to spend in bed."

"Make time, Kate," Gershon ordered. "I can give you a pill and I may still have to, but you know that anything you take, the boys take also. So what I'm telling you to do is the best first intervention. If we have to take further measures, we will. Now get out of here and if you don't have a car with you, take a cab. I don't want you walking to the subway or anywhere else. Am I making myself clear?"

Kate nodded wearily. "You are."

* * *

As usual Castle went overboard. He had a large screen monitor hung on the wall of the bedroom so Kate could amuse herself with hundreds of channels, DVDs, or video games. He installed an intercom so she could call him instantly and stocked up on low salt foods. That was the easy part.

Reassuring Lily was harder. She was sure Mama was sick, and fretted about it. Castle bought a little cart that Lily could use to bring Kate meals and snacks, so she could feel she was helping. Needing to do more, Lily offered Kate her purple elephant to cuddle, but Kate told her she'd rather cuddle Daddy or Lily, which the girl seemed to accept as a reasonable answer.

Lily crawled up beside Kate, and in the rarest of moments, both of them were napping. Castle took the opportunity to examine the proposal from his contractor. Some of it was very straightforward. There would be twin ovens built high into the wall of the kitchen as he had done in the loft. They would be inaccessible not just to Lily, but to the twins when they were old enough to explore. The walls of his office would be lined with built in bookcases, as would one wall of Kate's office. Castle would have loved to use the turret as a writing retreat, and when the kids were older, he might. But for now, it was too far away from their rooms. In the interim he planned it as a lookout, with built in wooden window seats that could be topped by plump cushions. He knew that Kate was concerned with getting her waist and her strength back as quickly as possible after the twins were born, so in the short term it could also be her workout room. It could be redone later. Lily's room would essentially duplicate the one she had at the loft, except that her crib would be replaced by a fanciful bed built into a cozy child's hideaway that could be modified to fit her needs as she grew.

The boys would be more challenging. Once they passed the bassinet stage, they would be in cribs. Castle planned on two different ones, or at least different colors, to avoid confusion, but their room would have to grow with them and allow each boy enough of a private area to cultivate a separate identity. Castle had requested a pocket divider that could be slid out of the wall, or not, depending on how much separation the boys wanted or needed. In essence, that would mean that as they grew, they would have a choice of whether to have separate rooms or not. Putting the option in place could save a lot of grief later, but the construction would have to be sturdy and compatible with the architecture of the house. Castle hesitated before approving that last part of the plan. With Kate confined to bed, however temporary it might be. it seemed like tempting fate. What if her blood pressure got worse? What if she developed complications, or worse, lost the twins? He shook off his novelist's tendency to imagine the worst case scenario. No! He and Kate had tempted fate before. They'd always attracted trouble, but they'd always managed to survive it. Whatever it took, they'd get through this too. Resolutely, he signed his agreement, scanned the signature page and emailed it to his contractor.

The only useful thing he could think of to do next, was to wash and hull strawberries, making them a much loved but healthy treat to serve when two of the people he loved most in the world awoke from their dreams.


	106. Chapter 106

Life Goes On

Chapter 106

Kate fidgeted as she waited for Dr. Gershon to join her and Castle in Gershon's office. Still giving last minute instructions to a nurse, Gershon came through the door and flipped open the laptop that would give her access to all Kate's test results. "Okay Kate, here it is. Your blood pressure is down, but you're still skating on the edge of normal range. You also have a little sugar in your urine, but not in your blood. We're not seeing any protein and that's a good sign your kidneys are functioning pretty well. Sooo, I'm going to allow you to return to work, but for as few hours as you can manage. I'd prefer to tell you to take a leave, but I know that would stress you out more than going back. However, I want you to keep monitoring your pressure morning and evening and I want you to add at least one reading at work. Also, I want to see you every two weeks, or sooner if you notice a consistent rise in blood pressure. Keep cutting back on the salt and watch your sugar too. And Kate, if you see your ankles or wrists swell, you get your ass in here. If your face swells, you go to the emergency room and call me on your way. Are you reading me Kate?"

"I understand," Kate responded soberly. Castle reached for her hand and squeezed it.

After leaving the building that housed Gershon's office, Castle opened the car door for Kate and held her elbow as she slid in. "Normally, when you have an expression like that on your face I'd offer you chocolate or a strawberry milkshake, but given the good doctor's pronouncements, neither of those seems to be an option, at least until we stock up on sugar free versions. So now that you have permission to set your soon to be invisible feet back in your office, would you like to go check on things there or should I just take you home?"

"That depends. Do we have any of those rib eye steaks you love so much, in the freezer?" Kate wondered. "I could really use something to sink my teeth into right now."

"I understand Kate. I mean not the feeling pregnant part, but the frustration part. You want to draw some blood instead of having yours drawn. We can stop at the butcher shop on the way to the loft. I'm sure he's got some fresh flesh suitable for rending."

Kate ground her jaw. "Let's do it, Castle."

* * *

Castle's cell dinged a text alert as Kate was finishing the last of her steak. Castle was only halfway through his meal and Lily and Lagi had earlier eaten creations they had crafted out of tortillas as part of Lily's Spanish lesson. "It's Mona," Castle relayed. "The sellers of the Fieldston house are asking for the terms to be amended for an earlier closing. I suspect they can use the money."

Kate hungrily swallowed her last hot and moist bite and dabbed at the juice on her lips with her napkin. "Is that a problem?"

"Actually, anything but," Castle replied. "My business manager has already made the arrangements to have the money standing by. Ever since they let me go over the place again to plan out our changes with my contractor, I've been marking time until we could actually start the work. The schedule for getting everything done before we have to leave the loft is pretty tight and we don't want construction going on with Lily around. This will make things easier. But Mona wants us to meet her at her office to sign papers. Are you okay with going? Lagi will still be here with Lily for a couple of hours yet."

"Castle, doing anything distracting right now sounds terrific."

"Okay," Castle agreed, "signing papers it is."

Mona's office was on the Upper East Side and suitably plush for clients who could afford to drop millions of dollars on a house or apartment. "I'm sorry I couldn't come to you," she apologized. "I do love seeing that darling little girl of yours, but I'm swamped and coming here was easier for the Pritchards. You remember, they're your sellers. Can I offer you something?"

Kate shook her head. "We just finished lunch," Castle explained. "I'd just like to see the paperwork."

With Kate looking on and not as swift a reader as Castle, he deliberately scanned the words more slowly. As far as he could tell, only one change had been made and Mona had flagged it to be initialed. Castle raised an eyebrow at Kate as an unspoken inquiry if her new legal training had allowed her to spot anything he'd missed. "Looks okay Castle," she offered.

Castle pulled his lucky pen from his pocket and handed it to Kate. "Ladies first."

Kate signed and Castle completed the process with a flourish.

* * *

Alexis stared at the array of patterns of china, crystal, and flatware offered for wedding registrants at Botillo's Fine Department Store. She turned to Sergei. Do we really need to do this? We'll be combining both our stuff in your apartment as is and there won't be much room to give formal dinners. The china and the silver will just sit on a shelf or in a drawer while we use stainless steel to eat off dishwasher safe stoneware. I can see the crystal, if we serve wine to guests, but we both have wine glasses already."

I agree we don't need all this," Sergei agreed. "I've always liked my coffee best when I make it with a funnel and an Erlenmeyer flask, but I still have a fancy machine one of my aunts got me for Christmas. It's a family thing. My family needs this ritual, Alexis. There is a tradition to set up a household for the bride and groom, dating back to when it was a matter of a newlywed couple's survival. So just choose what you like best and we can break it out when family visits, especially my family. Believe me, they'll come and they'll expect it, even at dinner for four."

Alexis shrugged. "I guess that kind of family visit was something I missed out on growing up. I suppose it could be fun, except for having to hand wash all this stuff."

Sergei bent to give her a quick peck on the top of the head. "I'll wash, you can dry. As a lab geek, I'm an expert at cleaning glassware."

* * *

After leaving Mona's office, Kate sighed as Castle maneuvered the car in city traffic. "What's the matter?" Castle asked.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking that in a week we'll really have a Castles' Castle. It's actually all happening, isn't it?"

"What? Did you think this was all some sort of weird dream and you'd wake up in a seedy hotel with Rogan O'Leary?" Castle teased.

Kate groaned. "Oh God, Castle, no. It's just that the whole moving thing has an air of unreality to it, like we're going to Never Never Land or something. But knowing we'll have the keys to the castle in a week, that sort of brings it home."

"Kate we're not moving yet, we'll just have the crew in the house getting it ready. And taking care of you and the twins is much more important than real estate, even our castle. So let's get you home to get as much rest as you can before you go back to work tomorrow."

"Yes Nanny," Kate conceded.

Castle smirked. "Kate if I'm your nanny, that's a plot for one porno flick I've never seen, but I'm ever willing to try something new."

Kate laughed and rolled her eyes. "Castle, that's one thing about you that's always been an adventure."

A/N A funnel plus an Erlenmeyer flask pretty much equals a Chemex coffee maker. All you need is coffee, a filter, and some hot water. I don't drink coffee, (a Castle travesty) but I've been assured the result is excellent.


	107. Chapter 107

Life Goes On

Chapter 107

It was moving day. Mona had recommended a company she felt had satisfied her most demanding clients and Castle gratefully took her recommendation. Lily and Lagi had been preparing for the upheaval, watching videos and singing songs about moving. They had also made a visit to the Fieldston house so Lily, excited at the prospect of having a big girl bed, could see her new room. Her crib would be passed down to one of her brothers. Castle also helped Lily put some of her possessions in boxes, before the professional packers came, to help her understand the process, then he took her to spend the day with her grandparents. She had her purple elephant with her, determined to make sure he faced no chance of being lost, and she happily repeated "Go to casuh later," over and over as Castle drove her to Jim and Martha's apartment.

More and more unwieldy, Kate had chosen to go to work, rather than try to maneuver around piles of boxes and movers. That left Castle to supervise. He wasn't too concerned with dishes and clothing that the workers from the moving company seemed to have well in hand. He did keep an eagle eye on the contents of his office, to make sure no vital notes were lost or displaced. He also assured himself that his books stayed in their proper order when boxed. The job went more quickly than he had imagined, with furniture being carefully padded, but transferred quickly to the truck.

Castle trailed the moving van to the Fieldston house, to direct the unloading and placement of the precious cargo. He also took time to put up giant vinyl elephants on the walls of Lily's room. They could be replaced when and if she developed different tastes. He wasn't sure if that would happen, considering that Kate was still pretty attached to elephants herself and his own animal totem, Linus, had traveled to their new home to assume a place of honor in Castle's office. Castle was relieved when Kate joined him in mid afternoon, transporting her bulk by way of a cab. He was even more relieved that she would be the one to direct the placement of her clothes and especially her shoes, into her own walk in closet, a job he had dreaded getting wrong. Kate also made sure her books were properly shelved and her papers placed in her new office, awaiting a desk, chair, and file cabinets due to be delivered from a furniture store the next day.

When the movers and unpackers had finally departed, Kate and Castle together made up Lily's bed, and then their own bed in their new master suite. Kate starred longingly at the familiar satin comforter. "You want to grab a nap while I pick up Lily?" Castle offered.

"No Babe, I think we should do that together," Kate decided. "We should come to our new home as a family."

Jim Beckett's shirt had grape juice stains and his hair was badly in need of a comb when he enthusiastically welcomed the Castles at the door. "Martha had to go to the theater and Lily wants to go to the castle," he reported ruefully. "She's been pretty insistent about it, especially the last couple of hours."

Lily proved the truth of his words, running to her parents, tightly clutching her elephant and demanding "casuh" with every step.

Castle caught her up in his arms. "That's where we're going, sweetheart. Just say thank you to Grandpa and wave goodbye."

Lily hurriedly did as she was told with Kate and Castle adding their heartfelt thanks as well. "Daddy, Mama, Lily, go to casuh now," Lily declared.

Jim Beckett sank into a chair after they left, wondering how he was going to handle Lily and twin boys. He sighed, hoping that the boys would at least like baseball. Lily had yet to show any interest, but Kate hadn't come to appreciate the boys of summer at Lily's age either. Optimistically, Jim had three tiny Yankees caps in the top of his closet. He imagined going to a game with all his grandchildren - if he survived that long.

* * *

"Big girl!" Lily proclaimed as she dove head first onto the sturdy bed recessed in her purple and white retreat.

Castle turned to Kate. "Hey, looks like she's content. Why don't you lie down for a while now? We brought all the food from the loft and it's all stowed in the kitchen. I might want to rearrange things a little, but I can cook."

"Castle, you've had a long day too. We could just order in," Kate suggested.

Castle shook his head. "Not for our first meal in our new home. If we can't christen the place with champagne we can at least do it with a meal à la Castle. So, one baby healthy, low sodium, high taste dinner coming up." He hefted her in his arms and carried her the short distance to their own bedroom. Castle panted slightly as he laid her down on the welcoming softness of the bed. "Ooh, this could be a new Olympic event, the wife pregnant with twins carry. It will save trips to the gym, or at least the development clubhouse." Castle swiped a forearm across his brow. "I'll call you when things are ready."

Castle leaned on the kitchen counter as he chugged a bottle of water to wash down two ibuprofen. The muscles in his biceps twinged and the small of his back accused him of rank stupidity. Kate might be weighed down with Jake and Reese, but there were some days when he really felt their age difference, and this was one of them. Still, he was as healthy as could be expected, considering the bullet wounds and other insults his body had endured. A few aches and pains could never keep him from taking care of his family. He perused the collection of herbs he'd put together to compensate for the absence of salt, and assembled a fragrant marinade to jazz up the blandness of boneless, skinless, chicken breasts.

The first night in the Castles' castle passed too quickly. As morning intruded, spooned against Castle, Kate had been slow to urge her brain into consciousness and even slower to urge her body into motion. Castle was not much better. Muscles that had complained the night before had stiffened into full blown protest. "Wow, I miss caffeine." Kate exclaimed. "I'm going to try out that new fancy shower."

Castle groaned as he pushed himself up in bed. "I'll check on Lily. She was too excited to get much sleep last night. With any luck she'll still be down now and I can grab a chance to test out the Jacuzzi."

One look at Lily dead to the world in her big girl bed and Castle was pretty sure he'd have a good chunk of time before she'd wake up. Still, he brought a portable monitor with him to the large master bath, just to be safe. He could smell the sweet cherry scent filling the room as Kate washed her hair under a massaging spray. As he lowered himself into the Jacuzzi, he wished she could enjoy the steamy swirling waters with him, but in pregnancy, that pleasure was on the forbidden list. It wouldn't be that much longer until the twins made their debut, only a couple of months, assuming Kate carried to term. All fingers and toes were crossed for that. And even then, with three kids, the chances to steal that sort of moment together would be few and far between. But Castle was determined to take full advantage of whatever opportunities arose. He might be getting older, but he hadn't lost any of his passion for Kate - not even close.


	108. Chapter 108

Life Goes On

Chapter 108

"Damn!" Kate grunted. "Castle, I can't get my boots on. Can you help me?"

"Sure, just a second." Castle finished fastening the last couple of buttons on his shirt and crouched at his wife's feet. He stroked her ankle gently. "Kate they're not going to fit. Your ankles are swollen, like really. We need to get you into Dr. Gershon, now." He consulted his watch. "Her office will be open by the time we get down there."

Kate's breath hissed through her teeth. "Castle, I don't have time for this. And what are we going to do with Lily? Lagi's not supposed to come today."

"A fact of which I'm keenly aware," Castle replied. "We'll just have to take her with us. Look, I'll get her dressed and give her something portable to eat and you can call Gershon's office on the way to let them know we're coming. You can put your feet up until we're ready to leave."

* * *

"Mama wear slippers," Lily noted as Castle helped Kate into the car. "Forget shoes."

"Mama likes slippers today," Castle explained to his daughter as he strapped her, complete with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, into her child seat. "We need to take Mama to see Dr. Gershon."

"No Doctor! No shots!" Lily protested.

"No shots for Lily," Castle reassured her. "We'll just keep Mama company."

Lily's lip trembled. "No shots."

"No shots," Castle repeated.

* * *

The drive to midtown was slow, or at least it seemed that way to Castle and he had to circle the block three times to find a parking space. He held a still nervous and slightly sticky Lily in his arms while he ushered Kate into the medical building.

The receptionist looked up as they came in. "Ms. Beckett, the doctor is expecting you. You can go right in."

Kate glanced at Castle. "I'll stay with Lily out here here," he replied in answer to her unspoken question. He attempted a reassuring smile. "We can work on getting some of the jelly off her while you're busy."

After a few minutes, in which Castle occupied himself by using a couple of the wipes that were ever present in his pockets on Lily's face and fingers, a nurse came to the waiting room. "Mr. Castle, Dr. Gershon would like you to join her and your wife in her office. I can stay with your daughter until you're finished."

Castle's chest tightened as found the door that had become too familiar. "Have a seat Mr. Castle," Gershon urged from behind her desk. Castle dropped into a chair beside Kate.

"Mr. Castle, the edema we're seeing is a concern and Kate's blood pressure is above the level I'd like to see also. We also did a quick dip test and we saw a trace of protein. It hasn't reached a dangerous level yet, but if it rises, it could be destructive to Kate's kidneys. So I have suggested to Kate that she either take a leave, or given how close it is to the end of her term, resign entirely, to lower the stress on her and the twins. She should also stay off her feet as much as she can and continue monitoring her blood pressure."

Castle reached over to take Kate's hand. "Hey, I know you hate this, but it's a no brainer. You have to do what will keep you and the boys safe. And look, Fill the Cracks is almost up and running. If you're up to it, maybe you can continue the good fight working on that from home." Castle turned to Gershon. "Can she, Doctor?"

"If her blood pressure stays down," Gershon agreed. "But Kate, no overdoing, no lifting, nothing that's going to put any strain on your body, otherwise you'll be on complete bed rest again. We need to keep the twins from making an appearance before they're ready. Every day they spend inside you is precious time to give them their best chance in this world."

Castle' s eyes flashed with determination as he held tightly to Kate. "And she won't do anything to endanger herself or deprive them of a single minute of it."

"Mama get shot?" Lily inquired anxiously when Kate and Castle returned to the waiting room.

Kate's lips tugged upward at her daughter's worried look. "No shots."

"Doctor good." Lily concluded.

"Very good," Castle agreed.

* * *

Except for Lily trying out the latest of her Spanish songs in the back seat, Castle drove back to the house in silence. He could sense the heat coming off Kate in waves as she fumed. When they arrived, Castle cut up some fruit and poured poured some milk in Lily's cup to complete her emergency breakfast. Then he settled her with a Disney video so he and Kate could talk.

He kept his voice low to avoid being overheard by his daughter. "Kate I know you're angry. I could feel it all the way home. So are you mad at me, mad at Dr. Gershon or both? Either way, it won't help your blood pressure any."

"I'm not mad at Dr. Gershon. She's just doing her job. But you! I promised to love you. I never promised to obey. I think this place has gone to your head. I don't appreciate the lord and master act, Castle."

Castle snorted. "As if anyone ever could be master of you. But I love you Kate, so much that it overwhelms me, and I'll do anything to protect you. I think you know that. Hell, I gave up two months of memory to try to keep you out of the cross hairs, for all the good it did either one of us. But I won't apologize for wanting to keep you safe. There's nothing more important to me. Nothing. I'll give in to you on almost anything, and I have - so many times. But not this, Kate. You are going to follow Gershon's orders if I have to hire Nurse Ratched to make you do it."

"Castle, that won't be necessary. I'll follow Doctor's orders. I just don't need you making decisions for me," Kate insisted.

"That's fair," Castle conceded. "So, now that we have established that you'll be spending as much time as you can stand as a lady of leisure, does the big screen go back in the bedroom?"

"Castle it hasn't come to that yet. Anyway, I have something to do. I need to put together my resignation. There is no point in taking a leave. If I can keep the boys in until they're due, there won't be much more than a month left on my term after they're born and I'll want to be home with them. Hmm, nursing twins. If you liked how big my boobs got nursing Lily, that should be Nirvana for you."

"I look forward to it," Castle allowed, "but you were talking about your resignation."

I will sit quietly in my new home office and work at my laptop," Kate promised. "I'll even put my feet up on a footrest under my desk. Happy?"

Castle cupped her face, his thumb caressing her cheekbone. "Kate, I'd be happy if you were healthy enough to do exactly what you want to do. I take no joy in playing warden. But yes, I'm satisfied that you'll be taking care of yourself. Tell you what. You get comfortable in there and I'll bring you a strawberry smoothie. I've been working on the recipe. No sugar, but real berries. You'll love it."

Kate ran her finger along the stubble Castle hadn't had time to scrape from his jaw. "Babe, I'm sure I will."


	109. Chapter 109

Life Goes On

Chapter 109

Using the brutal full length mirror in the ladies room of the cathedral, Kate surveyed herself in the dress that had been made for her as Alexis' matron of honor. She looked like a pale green tent. For a moment she wished that Dr. Gershon had kiboshed the idea of her standing up for Alexis, although in this case, the good doctor had made it sitting down. There would be a stool for Kate on the altar and she would only have to walk the few steps from her seat. Kate shook her head. There was really no way she would or could have said no. He stepdaughter really wanted her there, as at least a partial antidote for her mother Meredith, who had flown in for the occasion. And of course Castle was practically bursting the cummerbund on his tuxedo with pride. He was nervous but devastatingly handsome in his Bondish glory. As a bridesmaid, Hayley had taken up the weight of responsibility of getting Alexis ready. Alexis had Sergei's sisters Tatiana and Svetlana as bridesmaids as well, but needed Kate for moral support.

Hayley opened the door just enough to tell Kate she had five minutes to get to her seat. Castle was already standing in the narthex waiting to escort Alexis. He and Kate exchanged a quick kiss. Sergei's best man, his lab supervisor Gil, offered Kate his arm and escorted her to her seat before making his way back to stand with Sergei and his brothers. He would return for Kate at the appropriate time.

The service had been modified to allow for some more familiar elements Alexis had requested, but many of the traditions of Sergei's church were being followed as well. Rings had already been exchanged in a betrothal ceremony. During the actual wedding, the marriage would be symbolized by crowns. The wedding party entered to _Draw Near O Bride_ , sung by a men's quartet. They were led by the priest to the altar in the center of the sanctuary, where Sergei and Alexis stood on rose colored fabric, symbolizing their entry into a new life. Gil brought Kate up to the place prepared for her.

The priest read the Litany of Peace and several other prayers before signaling Alexis to begin her vows. Her voice was strong and sure as her eyes held Sergei's. "I pledge that I am marrying of my free will and have been promised to no other. My heart is yours Sergei. I will always support you, and be by your side, whatever may happen in our lives. Healthy or sick, rich or poor, we will face every challenge together, bound by respect, and above all love."

Sergei answered. "I pledge that I am marrying of my free will and have been promised to no other. Alexis, I will be with you in all things. We will live together, laugh together, and cry together, and I will love you without condition for the rest of our days."

The priest nodded and placed crowns on their heads, before reciting several more prayers. Alexis and Sergei shared a common cup and the priest wrapped a stole around their hands. He continued by leading them on a tour around the assemblage, as a symbol of their pilgrimage together. Often, the wedding party would have followed, but in consideration for Kate, Alexis and Sergei made the walk unaccompanied. Finally the priest gave a benediction and dismissed everyone from the church.

A caravan was organized to the hotel where the reception would be held, while a photographer took pictures of the wedding party. Throwing a look of apology to Kate, Castle posed with Meredith as parents of the bride. At the end of the train of cars, Kate and Castle were the last to arrive at the reception, except for the bride and groom, who stayed a few minutes longer for a brief but necessary civil ceremony.

Guests were served buffet style with an open bar. Kate gazed regretfully at forbidden lures like salt laden caviar, but still found enough in the bounty to more than fill a plate that would have met with Dr. Gershon's approval. Dancing was out of the question for Kate, and except for one dance with Alexis, Castle sat at a table with her, watching the revelers out on the floor move to music that was joyous and loud.

The contractions began slowly, with Kate dismissing them at first as Braxton Hicks, which she'd been having for months. But even with the distraction of the band, the speeches, and the dancers, the tightening bands on her belly reached a point Kate could no longer ignore. She nudged Castle. "We have to leave."

"Are you tired? Do you need to go home?" Castle inquired.

"Not home, Castle. The hospital. I think the bride is about to gain a couple of brothers. But let's do it quietly," Kate urged. I don't want to distract from Alexis' big day."

"Can you call Dr. Gershon while I drive?" Castle asked as he helped Kate into the car.

"I'll do it," Kate gritted out. "Let's just go, Babe."

The hospital was a short distance away, but it seemed like a cross country haul to Castle. He drove with one hand, with Kate's fingers firmly grasping the other. She squeezed when a contraction hit and the bruising pressure on his fingers was becoming more and more frequent. Kate had been pre-registered at the hospital, with her data and insurance information already in the system. Castle had only to sign the paperwork while she was wheeled up to obstetrics. Castle followed on a run.

An OB nurse pronounced Kate to be well along in labor, dilated to five centimeters. Kate was set up in a room and hooked to a monitor just as Dr. Gershon arrived to confirm what the nurse had said. "Kate, the monitor looks fine, but I'd recommend starting your epidural now. The twins are still three weeks early, which is frankly better than I thought we'd do, but given your history, they could develop distress at any moment. I'm hoping it won't be necessary, but if the anesthetic is already set up, we can do a caesarian quickly, if it should come to that."

Kate was about to answer when another contraction hit. Clinging to Castle's hand, she just nodded.

Twenty minutes later, as both Kate and Castle were relieved at the relenting of her pain, Castle's phone dinged with a text. Castle scanned the message on the screen. "It's from Alexis," he reported. "She noticed our absence and thought you might have decided to go up to the hospitality room they have for wedding guests, to lie down for a while. So she sent Hayley to check and now she knows we're gone. She wants to know if everything is all right. What do you want me to tell her?"

"Everything is all right, Castle," Kate pointed out. "And there's no need for her to rush out of her reception. You heard Gershon. It will probably be hours yet before the twins come. Just tell her I'm fine and you'll call her later."

Castle shrugged. "If you say so, but this is Alexis we're talking about. You will be giving birth to her brothers. Wedding day or not, she's going to want to be here."

"Fine Castle. Tell her the boys are on the way, but that I said for her to stay and have fun with her guests until you let her know otherwise," Kate instructed, "or she will have a very angry mother-to-be on her hands."

Castle closed his eyes, a smile forcing itself to his lips as he shook his head. "Fine. A Kate Beckett vs. Alexis Castle stubbornness contest. It should be a pay per view event."

Kate's eyes narrowed and her jaw tightened. "Castle, just send the damn text."


	110. Chapter 110

Life Goes On

Chapter 110

Castle typed out what Kate had demanded and pushed send. "There's more family to think about" he noted, "the grandparents. I don't know who's going to be more pissed off if we don't let them know what's going on, my mother or your father."

Kate sighed. "Trust me, Martha may be louder but my father will do a slow but hot burn. He's probably not that comfortable around the free-flowing booze at the reception anyway. He'll want to come. You can let them know where things stand."

Castle nodded his approval and sent the message. "So, now that we have that out of the way and you're not spending your time crushing my fingers, what would you like to do? TV? Newest Con Man game? An extremely awkward and limited make out session?"

Kate laughed. "None of the above, although that last option sounds tempting. I'd like to talk about the first major mission for Fill the Cracks. I've been spending a lot of time looking at possibilities and I've decided I want to go after the Drumpf Bernstein case."

Castle held up a hand for a high five. "Wow Kate, that's not a crack, that's the Grand Canyon. Rape, pedophilia, human trafficking, and expired statutes of limitations, where are you going to start?"

I was thinking about it two ways. One is if we can find a related crime that has no statute of limitations, we can use it as a point of attack. I was thinking that given all those girls suffered, as horrific as it was, there may have been a death to which Drumf and Bernstein contributed. The other tack is hitting them where they feel the most pain, their portfolios. We organize boycotts on the products of their companies. We convince tenants to leave their buildings. They've been using their extremely deep pockets to shield themselves. We need to sew those pocket's shut. We can enlist Paul Whittaker and other members of the press in that."

"I may be able to put my Pulitzers to work to help with that as well," Castle suggested. "I might have to stock my office with barf bags, but I can put out a series of articles on the girls that were exploited, build public outrage. I might even get a book out of it if you can deliver those predators to justice. But Kate, you remember what the early months with Lily were like, and the increase in sleepless nights with the twins won't be linear. You may be spending half your time just nursing. We'll have Lagi with Lily part of the time, but she won't be starting school with him until Spring." Castle looked at his watch. "Lily! We told Jenny Ryan we'd be picking her up tonight. After the complications she had with Nicholas, I'm sure she'll understand, but I need to let her know what's happening too. And we need to figure out what to tell Lily. I can get Jenny to put her on the phone and we can both speak to her."

"She's been asking every day when the babies are coming out of my tummy. Seems like the easiest thing to do would be to say I'm working on it," Kate mused.

Castle shook his head ruefully. "We are talking about our daughter, Kate. She's going to want to know details. Lagi showed her a video about Big Bird visiting a hospital, but for the rest, we'll just have to wing it." Castle pulled out his phone.

* * *

Lily was excited at the prospect that her brothers would finally be arriving, but even more excited by the prospect of having a sleepover with Sarah Grace and Nicholas. Castle had left Lily's emergency overnight bag, one that he had stowed in his trunk a couple of weeks before, with Jenny, and Lily had brought her elephant, so there was at least one situation that seemed to be in hand. That little island of calm was not to last, as an alarm screamed on Kate's monitor.

A nurse rushed into the room and looked at the readout. "The heart rate of the babies has dropped," She explained quickly, putting out a page for Dr. Gershon. who arrived a scant moment later with a wet brown stain on her lab coat where coffee had splashed in her haste.

Gershon quickly assessed the situation. She turned to the nurse. "Get a gurney in here." As the nurse ran out, Gershon turned back to Kate and Castle. "Kate, the cord is probably being compressed. This could resolve on its own as the babies move, but if it doesn't by the time we get you moved and prepped, we're going to have to get them out of there. Rick, when we get to the operating room, we'll get you gowned up and you can be with her."

* * *

When Castle finally emerged from the operating room, he was informed that he and Kate had family in the waiting room. He hurried to meet them while Kate was taken to recovery. Martha and Jim, as well as Alexis and Sergei, anxiously clutched cups of coffee and stood at his approach. Heart pounding, he blew a long breath through his lips before he could speak. His words exploded in a rush. "Kate's fine. "The doctor had to do a c-section, but she's fine. She'll be in recovery a while and then they'll take her to a room where she can have visitors. It looks like the boys will be fine too. They're a little small. Jake is five lbs two ounces and Reese is five pounds even. I held both of them and they're beautiful. Perfect. Ten fingers, ten toes. They even have a little fuzz, not like the head of hair Lily had when she was born, but definitely not bald. The doctors will be doing some tests to make sure their lungs are mature, but Dr. Gershon said that at that weight and this stage they probably are. They also both had pretty good howls. That's a great sign, although I'm not sure Kate and I will appreciate it much in the middle of the night. You should be able to see them later."

Castle dropped into a chair. "Breathe Richard," Martha counseled.

Bent over and panting, Castle just nodded.

* * *

When with effusive thanks, Castle picked Lily up at the Ryans' apartment the next morning, Lily couldn't understand why he didn't have Mama and the babies with him. Castle showed Lily video of Kate and the twins on his phone before he patiently explained that it made Mama a little sore to get the babies out of her tummy. She would be home from the hospital in a couple of days, but she would still hurt and have trouble moving around for a little while, so Lily would have to be very nice to her. "I'll be bringing your brothers Jake and Reese to our castle when I bring Mama," he added. "They are very small and you'll have to be very careful with them."

"Very careful," Lily agreed. "Be nice to Mama." Lily held up her elephant. "Jake and Reese have friends?"

"You know that's a great idea! Would you like to go to Toy Barn so we can get them some?" Castle suggested.

Lily's grin took up most of her face. "Toy Barn." At her father's side, she bounced her way to the car.


	111. Chapter 111

Life Goes On

Chapter 111

Even though Kate was feeling a lot better as Thanksgiving approached, she was far from fully healed. Castle didn't want to let go of the vision of a grand feast that had formed in his mind on his first view of the house, but for Kate's sake, he decided it should be as low stress as possible. The twins, still very small, if healthy, seemed so vulnerable to him that he wasn't sanguine about the idea of caterers trooping into the house. Kate suggested a family potluck like the one they'd had in the loft the year they been engaged - but minus the costumes. Castle agreed.

Barely recovered from their honeymoon, Alexis and Sergei were expected to put in appearances with both the Castles and the Kasparovs. As a compromise, they would be dining as lightly as they could manage at the Thanksgiving spread with the Castles at midday, then attending an evening meal at the home of Sergei's parents. Alexis had taken up her traditional assignment of dessert by baking a pumpkin pie, but had also picked up pastries from a Russian bakery she had come to love. Lily had pitched in too, with some major help from Lagi earlier in the week, producing cookies cut from the pattern of her hand and decorated as turkeys.

Jim Beckett brought his customary corn casserole. Castle gave silent thanks that Martha's contribution was a large salad, eliminating the possibility of charcoal or a near fatal dose of salt.

Kate felt up to working on dressing and relishes and Castle roasted the turkey and steamed fresh vegetables.

Lily had graduated from her high chair to a booster seat on one of the dining room chairs purchased to furnish the new house. She sat between her mother and her sister, giving a small hand to each, as everyone around the table declared what they were thankful for. Predictably, Alexis and Sergei were grateful for their marriage and each other. Castle gave thanks that his family was all healthy and together. Jim and Martha were both thankful for the expansion of the family and Martha was also grateful for the success of her latest play. Kate announced that she was grateful for any time she had more than two continuous hours of sleep. When Castle asked Lily what she was grateful for, she listened for a moment and declared, "Quiet. Jake and Reese not cry."

The adults at the table suppressed smiles and Castle nodded. "Out of the mouths of babes."

"Lily not baby!" his younger daughter protested. "Jake and Reese babies. Lily big girl."

Kate kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Yes you are."

Jake began to make himself heard in the middle of dinner and Kate excused herself to nurse. Reese joined the chorus soon after and Castle held him for comfort until Kate was finished with Jake. During the rest of the meal the guests took turns holding the twins. Lily stared at the cooing adults and somehow her pie ended up on the floor. Sergei automatically left his place to help pick up the mess. He looked up from his crouch on the carefully crafted hardwood and explained. "When you have as many brothers and sisters as I do, something is always ending up on the floor."

Alexis smiled at her husband. "He's always picking up at home too - except for his socks."

"Leaving your socks on the floor is a fine old male tradition," Castle proclaimed.

Kate put her hand over her mouth to smother a giggle as she remembered retrieving clothing shed by both of them, from much stranger locations.

Alexis checked her watch. "Two o'clock, hon," she told Sergei.

"Kasparov familial duty calls," her spouse explained. "Alexis and I are going to get in a long walk before we go to my parents' house to do our second round."

Castle walked the couple to the door, recommended a close by park and wished them good luck.

"Anyone for after dinner charades?" Castle inquired, returning to the remaining assemblage.

Martha drew herself up with a diva's pride. "Richard, challenge accepted."

That evening, in a few minutes of blessed peace while all three of their offspring were asleep, Kate and Castle cuddled together on the couch to finish the last of the pie and watch one of the sentimental movies that kicked off the holiday season. The inevitable string of ads for Black Friday appeared. "Are you going to join the hunt for bargains?" Kate questioned. "You've always enjoyed diving into the fray."

"Risk getting trampled by a horde of determined shoppers and leaving my wife to raise three children on her own? Kate that would be totally irresponsible," Castle remarked. "I will, however," he added, "make sure my fingers are toned and ready for Cyber Monday. The world of the web calls for a conqueror."

"And my keyboard maestro is just the man to do it," Kate agreed.

"Speaking of keyboards, I've noticed that in the few minutes you've had away from servicing the twins, you've been pretty busy on the computer yourself. Fill the Cracks?"

"Uh hmm," Kate acknowledged. "Hayley hooked me into the RCI system before she took off to take care of some of RCI's business for Frasier out west. I'm been finding everything I could on any of the girls who had anything to do with Bernstein's orgies."

"What are you hoping to uncover?" Castle asked.

"Really, I'm hoping I won't, but I'm looking for a suicide, Castle. If one of those girls ended her life and I can prove Bernstein and or Drumpf contributed to causing it, especially through the commission of a crime, then I might be able to get a judge to ignore the clock."

"And how are you doing so far?" Castle queried.

"I'm not sure," Kate responded. "Bernstein had so many girls in his operation and most of them had no names, or at least no real names. But I'm beginning to see a pattern of what happened to at least some of them as they got older. They just graduated from being working girls to working women. I've reached out to cops in vice to see if they know any of them. It's a long shot, but it's something, and I'm really just beginning. It may help that I'm producing so much milk now that I can express some of it to put in a bottle you can feed to Jake or Reese - probably Reese, he seems to be less fussy than Jake - while I nurse the other brother. If we can make that work, then I'll have a little more time to work."

"If you have more time you could use it to sleep too, Kate. You're not a hundred percent yet and even when you are, there's no need to drive yourself into the ground. The case has been around for a long time. It's not going anywhere."

But Castle, Drumpf is," Kate protested. "In certain political circles he's a rising star and the more backing he has from a political machine, the harder it's going to be to take him down. Then there will never be justice for those girls."

"They'll get justice Kate," Castle assured her. "There's one thing that's never changed about you. You don't give up. You don't back down, no matter how tough things get or how powerful the people are who are against you. And you know I'll help you anyway I can. But Kate, I want to hang onto my wife and the mother of our three incredible children, and I want her in one piece. So if you won't take care of yourself for yourself, do it for us Kate."

Kate snuggled into his shoulder and tucked her fingers into the opening where his shirt was unbuttoned. "Babe, I'll try."


	112. Chapter 112

Life Goes On

Chapter 112

Castle rushed into the nursery just as Kate was finishing feeding Jake. One look at his pale face told Kate that he hadn't just come to play with the babies. "Babe, what's wrong?"

"Alexis just called. Kate, the crash we heard about on the news earlier; Hayley was on the plane."

"Oh my God, Castle! Is she...?"

"Everyone is, Kate, the passengers and the crew. There were no survivors."

Kate laid her son in his bassinet and took Castle's hand, leading him away from the innocent obliviousness of their sons, to a seat on the couch in the living room. "Is there any word on what caused the crash?"

"Just that the authorities were very careful to say there were no indications of terrorism. The pilot reported that he had mechanical problems and requested clearance for the nearest airport, then the plane went down. You know how it goes. They'll retrieve the black box and then the NTSB will make a devastatingly careful reconstruction of all the events before they release their report." Castle got up and started to pace. "Kate, I don't even know why she was on the damn thing. It was one of those bargain flights. She didn't have to do that! But when she and Alexis took over officially running the place, they decided to make things leaner. Too lean. Alexis lost a partner."

"So what happens now?" Kate asked. "Have they notified Hayley's family?

Castle shook his head. "Other than her mother in jail in England, she didn't have any. It was pretty much us, but she had a lot of friends. Alexis is going to be working on some sort of memorial for her, but there's not much she can do yet. We don't even know if there's going to be a body to bury."

Castle poured himself three fingers of scotch, then continued to pace. "Kate, this isn't an isolated incident. This is the worst crash, but if my memory serves, three planes from that airline have gone down within the last couple of years. I want to know why."

Kate went to her husband, wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. "Castle, of course you do, and I know if there's a story to be found, you'll be the one to find it."

Castle pulled her against him. "I'm sure as hell going to try. First thing I need to look at is the history of Azure Airlines."

Kate stepped back. "Wait! Azure Airlines. Babe, we may be looking at the same damn case. Azure Airlines is owned by Drumpf. In fact, Bernstein used it to transport some of his girls. It was used by some of their buddies too. It was upscale then. It went budget after Bernstein was sent up for the thirteen months which should have been life."

"So Drumpf has probably been cutting corners on maintenance costs," Castle surmised. "It would certainly be like that asshole, to put thousands of people at risk just to keep a few more bucks in his pocket. The trick is going to be how to prove it."

"We'll figure it out," Kate asserted. "One way or another, the public is going to see Drumpf for the slime he is."

* * *

Hayley Shipton's memorial was held at the Red Lion, her favorite pub on American soil. It was not a somber affair. Alexis was sure Hayley would not have wanted it to be. A band was playing and beer was flowing while friends and co-workers, including some who had flown in from all over the world and a number from the Twelfth Precinct, recounted stories of her exploits. Lagi was with Lily and the twins at the house, so Castle and Kate could attend.

Castle was startled to see a tall white haired figure enter through a back door and slide into an isolated booth. He touched his wife's arm. "Kate, I think Hunt is here."

"Castle, that shouldn't be surprising. They did work together."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't peg him as the memorial type. Even if he works for the white hats, he is an assassin, a very effective one. And I've never seen him show a moment's remorse about it. God, Kate, I can't even go say hello to my own father. The only time we're supposed to have met each other was when he was calling himself Anderson Cross and was a suspect in the murder Gemini committed. No wonder he's staying in the shadows back there, can you imagine what would happen if Ryan or Esposito saw him? I think Espo had to leave, but Ryan's around here somewhere."

"Ryan's talking to Alexis, Castle." Kate pointed to another booth. "Over there."

Castle followed her gaze. "It appears to be a fairly serious discussion. Hmm, look at that. They're shaking hands. I wonder what that's all about."

"I'm sure if it's any of your business you'll hear about it later, Castle. But at least Ryan is no where near Hunt," Kate noted.

Castle didn't have long to wait. Alexis brought Ryan over to where Kate and Castle were sitting. "Dad, Kevin is going to be coming to work for RCI."

"You're leaving the Twelfth?" Kate asked.

"I have to," Ryan admitted. "It's been harder to make ends meet every month. Espo hasn't even made sergeant yet and he's ahead of me. Who knows when I'd be moving up? I was considering working security with my brother-in-law before the bottom fell out of his operation. But much as I never would have believed it would happen, RCI is solid. From what Alexis has described to me, there's a steady caseload, too much to handle without Hayley. RCI needs the help and I can use the job."

"Dad, Hayley signed an agreement that if anything ever happened to her, her stake in RCI would go to me. You know that. She didn't have anyone else. So in a way, I'm honoring her memory by putting someone she knew and trusted in her place. Plus Kevin's been working hard on his computer skills and they're great, better than mine and definitely better than yours."

"Thanks a lot," Castle responded, watching out of the corner of his eye as his father slipped out of the pub again. Castle extended his hand. "Welcome aboard Ryan. But what's Espo going to do without you?"

"He and Maria are so deep into finally planning their wedding, I don't think he'll have time to worry about it, but he's had partners before me, he'll have another one after me. "Sully's been looking to move back to homicide. This could open up a hole for him. He's a good man and he and Espo were good together when Beckett went to work for the F.B.I.."

"He is a good detective and quite a character," Castle agreed.

"And he's also even shorter than I am, which Javi will love too," Ryan added

Kate smiled her agreement.

* * *

"Castle, how do you feel about Ryan working for RCI?" Kate asked, as Castle drove back to Fieldston after the memorial.

"Well it goes without saying that I hate the way it happened," Castle answered. "But Lily is already close to his kids. You get mothering advice from Jenny. Our families fit. And I know he needs the money. Hayley was doing very well, He can do better than he did at the N.Y.P.D., even if Alexis is trying to run lean. He's been breaking his back for years just trying to give his children a chance at a decent education. Jenny and the kids hardly ever see him. If he's going spend a lot of time behind a computer, his hours should be more manageable and God willing, there will be fewer people shooting at him.

"Things change, Kate. Gates replaced Montgomery. You replaced Gates. Jeffords replaced you. You've moved on from the Public Advocate's office. I've moved on from pulp and Black Pawn. Some of the changes have been due to tragedy, like Montgomery's and Hayley's deaths. Some of them have been due to miracles like Lily and the twins. We just have to do the best we can wherever life takes us. We can handle anything, just as long as we do it together."

Kate reached across the console to put a hand on thigh. "Always, Babe."


	113. Chapter 113

Life Goes On

Chapter 113

When Castle bought the house, he had envisioned an extravagant first Christmas. It wasn't quite working out the way he'd planned. In the subdued atmosphere resulting from Hayley's death and with the round the clock care of the twins, the intense yuletide preparations he had gloried in for so many years fell by the wayside. He did get a tree, but it wasn't one of the fifteen footers he had previously ordered for delivery. Instead, he and Lily went to a tree sale sponsored by a nearby church. He and Lily traversed the crowded aisles of evergreens set up in the church parking lot. Bouncing with excitement, Lily wanted all of them, but Castle told her that she would have to find the one special tree that had grown just to be in their castle. They examined fir after fir, with Castle carrying his daughter, tucking her into his coat after her legs had tired and her cheeks were reddened by the cold.

Finally Lily had found the one. Castle wasn't sure if she was tired of looking, or the greenery had called to her. It wasn't the tree he would have chosen. It was far from symmetrical, with protruding larger branches Lily pointed at exclaiming,"Arms!" Attempting to see through his daughter's eyes, Castle found that if he squinted hard enough, it looked like the tree indeed had arms. Also, some of the upper branches formed eyes that stared benignly down at them. He found a church volunteer to take his money and help tie the tree to the top of his car. Castle wasn't sure how he'd get it down again and into the house.

His problem was solved by a neighbor who was taking a walk despite the temperature. Carl Swenson saw the laden car pull into Castle's drive and observed Castle getting Lily out of her safety seat. A veteran, he recognized the author and was delighted to help than man who had helped shine a spotlight on the problems of so many of his brothers and sisters in arms. Together they lugged the tree inside and set it up on the platform Castle had prepared in the living room. Lily paid rapt attention every step of the way. "Now dress tree," she demanded when Carl had departed.

"Let's see if Mama can help us," Castle suggested.

Reese had just fallen asleep in Kate's arms when Castle checked the nursery. In a rare and wondrous occurrence, Jake was napping as well. Kate put Reese in his bassinet and Lily grabbed her mother's hand. "Dress tree."

Kate raised questioning brows at Castle. "She's imbued it with personality," he explained. "I brought the decorations up from the basement earlier and locked them in my office. I can get them now if you want to join our little tree dressing party."

"Sounds good to me," Kate replied.

Castle brought in the lights first, lifting Lily to help wrap them around the tree. The unbreakable ornaments came next, with Castle again hefting his daughter so that she could hang her favorites, mostly tiny stuffed Disney characters, especially from the Dumbo movie. When his shoulders were about to give out, Castle called a cookie break. Lily proudly insisted on serving her parents some of the slightly misshapen crispy rice treats she had fashioned after Lagi had done the required heating and mixing earlier in the week. When sticky fingers had been washed, Lily watched in fascination as her parents hung the shiny more fragile ornaments on upper branches. Finally, Castle had Lily press the button on a remote control and the tree sprang to blazing glory.

"Tree wave to Santa Claus," Lily declared.

"I'm sure he will," Castle assured her.

Lily gave him a puzzled look. "Tree shiny lady."

"Daddy's mistake," Castle conceded. "She's a lady and definitely shiny."

"Lily do puzzles now," his daughter announced.

"Thank God," Castle muttered under his breath.

"Lost a little Christmas spirit, Castle?" Kate inquired.

"I think I might have to find it again in a tube of liniment," Castle confessed.

Kate kissed his cheek. "Well at least the stuff smells like wintergreen. I can help you rub it in."

"Best offer I've had all day."

Feeling aromatic but better, Castle propped his feet on his desk and balanced his laptop on his thighs. He brought up the NTSB report of an Azure Airline crash two years before. The executive summary was confusing. Even though a fire in the engine had been spotted, the crew had been cited as the cause for the crash, for failure to shut it down properly. Castle scanned through the text of the rest of the report and found it equally confounding. "I need a pilot or a mechanic to interpret this," he concluded. He recalled that several of the scifi actors he'd met at cons flew planes and that one in particular who'd played a Klingon, flew bigger planes. Castle decided to give him a call.

* * *

Mickey Doren eerily reminded Castle of Dr. Burke, the therapist who'd helped him recall his dreams about Thailand. They had the same deep voice and authoritative presence. When Castle explained what he needed and why, Mickey told him his timing was perfect. On hiatus from his new series, he had been planning to do a play in New York, but at the last moment the financing had fallen through. Since he'd arranged several meetings for the time he'd planned to be in the city, he would be in New York anyway, with some time on his hands. He was anxious, as he put it, "to get the goods on the bigoted motherfucker." They agreed to get together after Mickey flew into Teterboro the next day.

Castle met Mickey at Q3, where Maddie Queller had arranged a secluded table. "How'd you get us in here, Castle?" Mickey queried. "I've heard reservations are almost impossible, even with what passes for celebrity status."

Castle explained that the proprietor and his wife had been high school bffs who had renewed their acquaintance during a murder investigation. "My wife would have loved to meet you," Castle continued, "she's a real fan of bat'leth battles, but she has her hands and other parts of her anatomy full with our new twins."

Mickey smiled knowingly. "Uh huh, my wife and I have a pair too and I remember the first few months. When they weren't nursing they were crying or filling their diapers, with a few minutes here or there to sleep."

"That sounds familiar," Castle responded exhaling deeply.

Mickey laid a large hand on Castle's shoulder. "Hey, it gets easier, but listen, I just had time to scan the reports you sent me the links to. I do agree that the information on what led to the actual mechanical failures was scanty. I did observe that in a couple of them the NTSB made note that maintenance records were missing or incomplete. Given the pattern, that sends up a stink worse than a Ferengi business deal. I'll have some time in the next few days to go over them in detail, and I'll let you know what else I find, but I think you're on the trail of something here Castle. You keep on it."

"I assure you I will," Castle promised. "But while we're here, I can tell you, the glazed pork belly is to die for."

"Castle, I'm a vegan," Mickey reminded him.

Castle shrugged. "Well you're still in luck. The Buddha's Delight scored four forks in the last Mystery Veggie Lover review."

Mickey grinned. "I look forward to it."

A/N Yes, I confess, Mickey is based loosely on Michael Dorn, who is both a pilot and incongruously for a Klingon, a vegan.


	114. Chapter 114

Life Goes On

Chapter 114

"Castle!" Kate called.

Castle ran into her office with an arm full of Reese.'What happened? What's wrong?"

"Sorry Babe, I didn't mean to scare you. Nothing's wrong with me, just with Drumpf. I think I may have found my key. I dug up an article on a rape counseling center. The article focuses on women who had been raped, but who are using helping others to turn their own lives around. There's a counselor here who told a story of attending parties as a young teen, where she was forced to perform sex acts on rich men. She didn't mention any names, but the time line fits, Castle. Those could have been Bernstein's parties, and if they were, she might be the link we need. Her name is Carrie Perchik and I want to go see her."

"You should. Look Kate, you've managed to fill enough bottles with your special brew that I can hold down the fort. I met with Mickey," Castle reminded her. "You should have a head to head with Carrie. Make the connection."

Kate picked up her phone. "I'm going to."

For some, the holidays are far from a happy time. The joy that permeates the air serves as a painful reminder of the blackness that tears at their souls. It was a busy season for the counseling center, as wounds gaped open and old hurts surfaced. Carrie had little time to spare, but when Kate made her mission clear, Carrie was willing to meet in the hour after sunrise when the load seemed to ebb.

The time suited Kate. The twins had been fed and she expected Castle would have at least a couple of hours of lull to take care of Lily, who needed constant convincing that Christmas cookies were not the best choice for breakfast, even if Kate had downed a few herself before she left the house. She had been contributing at least a thousand calories a day to Jake and Reese and her pregnancy weight had melted away. She could pop the treats with almost no guilt - and she certainly needed the energy.

* * *

Carrie Perchik was small. Kate estimated that she couldn't have been over five two, but every inch was packed with determination. She met Kate at a back table of a coffee shop around the corner from the center. Kate picked up the tab for two extra large lattes. Carrie sipped at her cup and encircled its warmth with her hands. "You know, women are always being told to forget what happened to them and go on with their lives. But we don't forget. We never forget. We just have to learn to live with the memory."

Kate felt a burn of remembrance between her breasts and nodded silently.

"I was thirteen, but I remember everything," Carrie went on. "There was another girl, she called herself Starlight. She recruited us, you know, told us we'd be models, maybe actresses. She said that Bernstein could open the door to our big break and if Drumpf liked us, we'd be home free. He knew everyone and could get us anything we wanted. Starlight said we'd we'd just have to look pretty and be nice.

"I had no idea what she meant by nice until I got there. There were these men. They must have been in their forties or fifties, but they looked ancient to me. Some of them just wanted us to sit on their laps like we were their babies or something. Other ones wanted hand jobs or blow jobs. That wasn't too bad. But Drumpf, he wanted more. Kate, I'd never had a man inside me before. I was terrified. I told Starlight I just wanted to get out of there. But Drumpf and Bernstein dragged me into a bedroom. The bed was small and white like a princess bed. Drumpf used stockings to tie my wrists and ankles to the bedposts. I screamed and he used one of those silk ties he sells, to gag me. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't do anything except close my eyes so I wouldn't see it going into me. I was bleeding after. the blood was on the bedspread. Drumpf saw the stain and winked at Bernstein. He said Starlight had done a good job bringing him a fresh one. Finally they just let me go.

"I was living with my parents then and I told them. They accused me of making the whole thing up. But I heard them talking later. They believed me, they were just afraid that if they said anything or did anything that Drumpf would ruin my father's business. He'd done it to others, a lot of others. So they kept their silence and made sure I kept mine. By the time I was old enough to do anything about it, it was too late. Bernstein had gotten his slap on the wrist but Drumpf had gotten away with it. He's gotten away with so much, I never thought anything would stick to him. But Kate, you brought down Bracken, and he was running for president. You and your husband, you've done so much, you've given me some new hope. So whatever you need, whatever I can do, I will. And I think I can convince some of the other women who were at those parties to come forward too."

"What about Starlight?" Kate asked. "Do you know who she is?"

"More like who she was," Carrie corrected. "Her name was Liz Bonner. And she did become an actress of sorts. She made the kind of movies men jack off to. They would have been the lucky ones. She died years ago, of AIDS. God knows how many guys she actually infected. It wasn't just misery that came out of what Bernstein and Drumpf did, it was death."

"And you've just given me a whole other lead against them," Kate realized. "Carrie, I will pursue it and every other one I can find. Drumpf isn't just up against the helpless now. Fill in the Cracks has resources. We will will give you and all the other victims a voice. I promise."

Carrie reached out to take Kate's hand. "I just hope that's a promise you can keep."

* * *

Castle was initiating Lily into the secrets of creating raisin faces on oatmeal when his cell phone rang. The deep tones of Mickey Doren vibrated through the speaker. "Castle, I've found something, or more like not found something, in all the reports you sent me. In similar reports there's a section on correcting things like deficiencies in record keeping. In those reports for Azure, those sections are completely missing. That might have been accidental in one report, but not in four. My guess is that someone had his hand out, and Drumpf filled it with considerable silver."

"Well if there's a money trail, I can trace it," Castle replied, knocking the oatmeal box to the floor in his excitement. "Thanks Mickey! That's great! I mean it's horrible, but it's great."

No thanks needed," Mickey assured him. "Just take the motherfucker down."

Castle glanced anxiously at Lily, wondering if she'd repeat Mickey's too colorful turn of phrase. Fortunately she seemed more interested in her father's accident. "Daddy make mess. Clean up."

Castle reached for the connection to the vacuum system. "Don't worry Lily, cleaning up a mess is exactly what Daddy is going to do. And so's Mama."


	115. Chapter 115

Life Goes On

Chapter 115

Castle didn't dare build a real fire in the fireplace, because Lily wouldn't stay away from it. There was a screen, a heavy one, but there was always the possibility that Lily could nudge it aside somehow or tip it over, especially in a moment when Castle was distracted by the twins. To make the fireplace at least look like a merry blaze, Castle had purchased a battery powered device that glowed with what looked like flames, made more realistic by a tiny fan. It was fascinating to Lily, but was incapable of burning her. Lily was even more interested in the stockings, especially her own, and repeatedly kept demanding to know how much longer it would be before Santa Claus came. She had an Advent calendar with doors that opened on little treats and trinkets, but as the hours grew short, it was no longer any help.

In response to yet another of her queries, Castle consulted his watch. "Ten hours until it's Christmas and Santa can come," he informed her, "but he won't unless you're asleep. When you wake up tomorrow, Santa will have filled your stocking. Tonight after dinner when Alexis and Sergei and Grandma and Grandpa are here you can open some presents that aren't from Santa, the ones under the tree. We all can. Then you can open Santa's presents in the morning." Castle knew his answer would satisfy his daughter for about five minutes, but he'd take anything he could get.

One advantage to Sergei's religious heritage was that his parents celebrated the holidays on a different calendar, so there would be no conflict for family time. Alexis was grieving for Hayley, but there was nothing Castle could do about that except to surround her in Christmas love. She and Sergei would be arriving early to help provide some respite with Lily and the twins, so Kate and Castle could finish their final preparations for the Christmas feast.

The Castles' Castle had been almost a daily stop for the brown delivery truck, as Castle had done most of his Christmas shopping with eager and nimble fingers. In her few breaks from motherly duties and her work for Fill the Cracks, Kate had done the same. Their online purchases had even included wrappings and ribbons. The space under the tree was overflowing with presents, some in shining elegance, some in whimsical bags. There were also a few with uneven corners and lopsided bows proudly crafted by Lily to adorn gifts that she had picked herself from a selection displayed by her parents on an enticing screen."

Castle had planned only limited glances at his email for the duration of the holiday, using only a special account for family and friends. Kate was doing her best to lay Fill the Cracks aside temporarily as well. While the twins were held and Lily amused by the Kasparovs, Castle and Kate occupied themselves in kitchen. Keeping in mind the small size of the gathering and the shorter cooking time, the Castles had decided on a duck instead of a turkey. Castle satisfied himself that it was browning well and he and Kate worked together on side dishes. In consideration for her husband, Martha had announced beforehand that she would be dispensing with providing the traditional family glug. Instead, Castle made sure the spicy aroma of mulled cider filled the air. Kate had suggested that comfort food would be a good idea, so Castle had put together his best mac and cheese. She steamed carrots and parsnips to the peak of hearty sweetness. Sergei and Alexis had brought home made Russian teacakes which joined a fresh batch of triple chocolate brownies as dessert offerings.

The Castles fed the twins before Martha and Jim arrived. When the family gathering was complete, Rick and Kate sat down to dinner with their guests, hoping for at least an hour of peace. Jim Beckett gave a short blessing and Alexis added a remembrance for Hayley, before the diners finally dug in.

Hoping for more satisfying answers, Lily switched to asking the others at the table when Santa would be arriving, but was disappointed when she received the same message as she had from her father. Still after a taste of duck, she happily consumed macaroni and cheese. "Good call," Castle whispered to Kate, nodding toward his younger daughter.

When rich espresso was served with dessert, Martha announced that she had news to share. She would be going on the road with a touring company. Jim Beckett's firm was handling a suit which would involve taking depositions around the country, so he would be able to join her at many of her stops. They were both pleased they would be able to enjoy the travel together, but regretted the time they would miss with Lily and the twins.

Castle found himself immediately regretting the loss of Lily-sitting services. Catching Kate's eye, he could see that she was thinking the same thing, but they both did their best to put on a happy face for their parents. Desperately needing a change of subject, Castle suggested singing Christmas carols. The grand piano that had graced the loft was now at Martha and Jim's apartment, but Castle used the large screen monitor he'd bought for Kate when she was on bed rest, to display Christmas carol karaoke video. That provided the added benefit of not having to remember all the words, especially when it came to the Twelve Days of Christmas.

After singing along with the songs she knew from her kids' Christmas videos, Lily carefully studied the adults as they went through golden rings and pipers piping. She loudly questioned if she would be getting twelve days of Christmas too. Castle swallowed, sure that he'd made a terrible mistake in his choice of song, but Sergei jumped in. He explained that he and Alexis would be celebrating Christmas all over again on January seventh. He showed her the day on the calendar. Alexis added that Lily could get more presents then.

By the time Lily was assured of more Christmas to come, the twins were awake again and passed once more around the gathering while the non-Santa presents were opened. Lily was most taken with a sparkly plastic fairy wand from her father and ran around the room imbuing objects and people with imaginary magic, while the adults exclaimed over books, jewelry, and articles of clothing. After a final round of cider and cookies, the guests departed.

Lily's eyes drooped almost to closing and Castle carried her, still clutching her wand, to bed for a nap. Rocking side by side in the nursery, Kate and Castle fed the twins, who mercifully fell asleep as well. The couple left the room hand in hand to begin the clean-up from the celebration.

"Castle, I really like the dress you bought me," Kate remarked as she dried the platter they'd used for the duck "It's so slinky I never could have worn it before this, but I can now."

Castle nuzzled her neck. "That was the point, Kate. I do pay attention to every inch of you and love them all regardless of dimensions, but I know that you've been glad to return to a weight suitable for fighting - or other forms of contact."

"And Dr. Gershon has cleared me for other forms of contact," Kate added, laying down the platter and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Then how about if you slip the dress over your deliciously sleek body? Then I can try my hand at slipping it off again. We can have a Christmas celebration of our own."

Kate squeezed two handfuls of firm Castle derriere. "I can't think of a better one."


	116. Chapter 116

Life Goes On

Chapter 116

It was one of the strange thaws that had been happening more and more often during the winter months. Despite it being the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, the temperatures rose to the low seventies and the bright sunshine made it feel even warmer. The Castles took advantage of the aberrant weather to take a trip to Times Square. The twins were in a clever double stroller with a jump seat for Lily, in case her short legs grew tired. The area was full of tourists of every kind, taking in the sights and snapping pictures. Lily had one destination in mind: the Disney Store. As the Castles made their way through the crowds, they were surrounded by the swirl of languages typical of a New York attraction, but it was Spanish that caught Lily's ears. She pulled at Rick's hand. "Daddy, bad men."

Castle looked around for a poster or a billboard displaying some infamy, but didn't see one."Where Lily?"

"Daddy, men speak Spanish. Say they take things."

"Who Lily?" Kate asked, listening with the long ingrained cop instincts.

"Popcorn."

As unobtrusively as she could, Kate glanced back at the popcorn store, where several men stood. To her trained eyes, their body language indicated suspicious unease. "Castle, I think Lily may have really picked up on something. I'm going to call it in. With the presence and the cameras the N.Y.P.D. have here, they should be able to keep a watch on those guys." Castle nodded as Kate pulled out her cell phone and walked to a more secluded spot to make her call. "I talked to dispatch," she reported when she returned. "Luckily, they still remember me. Someone will be on it."

"Disney Store now?" Lily asked.

"Absolutely," Castle responded. "There must be something there for the Castle family's newest crime fighter."

Kate nudged her husband. "After the haul she's been pulling in, Castle, don't make your usual leap overboard."

"I will try to restrain myself," Castle agreed. After a long and thorough perusal of all the Disney wares, Lily proudly took home a small set of plastic Sheriff Callie figures. Miraculously true to Castle's word, the $7.99 price tag find held no danger of breaking the family bank.

After returning to Fieldston, the Castles took advantage of a rare interlude when drowsy from their outing, all three of the junior members of the family fell asleep. Resting their own feet, the couple grabbed a few moments to watch the local news together. Chief Gates was giving a press conference reporting the capture of a pick pocket ring. She trumpeted that the arrests were due to the prompt response of the N.Y.P.D. to a tip by an alert citizen and went on to encourage every citizen of New York not to hesitate to contact their local police with their concerns. "We're all in it together to make are city safer," she preached to the cameras.

"An alert citizen, huh," Castle remarked. "It's Lily's first collar. Another example of the Castle family's superior detecting skills. And not a bad idea of Lagi's to have her start learning Spanish either."

"Not a bad idea at all," Kate agreed. "All the kids who'll be starting school with Lagi will be lucky."

"Four months to go," Castle noted. "That reminds me. Lagi successfully defended his dissertation. The paperwork isn't finished for his degree yet, but the wheels are already turning. I had a _Go to Meeting_ with the other investors and we're funding the site he already has picked out. Lily's way ahead of the development of a three year old - of course - but when she officially turns three, she should be able to start the next day."

"Do you know where it's going to be?" Kate asked

"He's lined up some space from the university. It's a pretty straight shot from here by car, cab, or train. We've been considering a van to pick up the students too. We're still looking into insurance and liability issues. But either way, it should work for Lily. And at the university Lagi will be able to use student interns," Castle added. "He's already been a teaching assistant for some of them. They should be primed and ready."

"It sounds great Castle, I just hate the thought of losing him around here," Kate confided.

"Hey, Jinx brought us Lagi. He may bring us someone equally wonderful to work with the twins." Castle cupped her cheek."We'll work it out, we always do."

"Yes we do," Kate responded, snuggling into his shoulder just as cries began to emanate from the monitor in the nursery.

"Break time over," Castle announced. "That sounds like Jake." Another plaintive voice joined in. "And Reese."

Kate got up and extended a hand to her husband. "Let's go Daddy."

By the time the twins had been fed and changed, Lily was up from her nap. Castle settled her at the table in the kitchen to play with her new Disney windfall while he made dinner. He was starting to regret not having made a Christmas turkey. He would have loved to be able to reheat some leftovers, but there were none. He'd briefly considered ordering something to be delivered, but Fieldston was not Manhattan and by the time the food arrived, he'd have had time to throw something together himself. It seemed like hefty burgers would be the easiest way to go, with a slider for Lily, and oven baked fries all around. He was just forming the patties when his newly installed video doorbell rang. He pulled out his cell phone to see who his visitor was. An image of Carl Swenson appeared, with a sheepish look on his face. Castle's announcement of "Be right there," was fed through an outside speaker. Castle let Carl in, ushered him to the kitchen where Kate had joined her daughter, and offered him a cup of coffee.

Carl put up a hand. "No thanks. I'm here to ask for a favor. The in-laws are visiting." Carl rolled his eyes. "You know, the holidays. Anyway with the nice weather, my mother-in-law was walking around the neighborhood and she saw you and your family pull into your driveway. She recognized you from _Live with Kiki,_ and now if she doesn't get to meet you, she's going to make my life a living hell right through New Years."

Castle put a sympathetic hand on Carl's shoulder. "I understand. A determined woman is not to be denied. I have extensive experience in that area." Castle pointed at his burgers in progress. "But hungry mouths are not to be denied either. How about if I drop by later, after supper, say around seven?"

"Whew! Thanks, That would be great, terrific! You are saving my life. I'm at 14280. It's the house with the giant polar bear out front. Believe me, you can't miss it. I'll leave you folks to your supper now."

"I'll walk you to the door," Kate offered.

"Sorry about that," Castle apologized when Kate returned. "I just don't want to see Carl suffer the slings and arrows of disappointed fandom."

"Castle, if I'm not used to your adoration by hordes of strange women by now, I never will be. Besides, I can understand it." Kate pressed a quick peck to his lips. "I'm pretty fond of you myself."

"Always nice to know," Castle responded, smiling.

"But now that we've got that out of the way, feed us," Kate demanded.

"Burger." Lily added.

Castle gave a little bow. "I live to serve."


	117. Chapter 117

Life Goes On

Chapter 117

There would be no New Year's Eve party for the Castles. With the twins in the house, it would be close to impossible to hold one. Nor did they feel comfortable with being away for the night to attend one - even if they had a sitter who could take care of the twins for a whole night, which they didn't. Kate wasn't drinking anything that could be a problem if it found it's way to the twins' milk either, and Castle wasn't inconsiderate enough to indulge in front of her. Add to that the pall that still hung over the season from Hayley's death and the most excitement Rick and Kate expected was watching the ball drop on New Year's Rockin' Eve in the newly pick pocket free Times Square.

One thing Castle did not expect was the appearance of his father, but at 11:55 P.M. December 31, the doorbell rang and the tall, white haired figure was visible to the camera. Castle let him in without comment, knowing that an explanation for his appearance would come when Hunt was ready to give it. Castle led his father into the sitting room, where he had been snuggling with Kate in front of the TV. "I know you spotted me at Hayley Shipton's memorial," Hunt began.

Castle waited for more.

"You know I asked Hayley to watch out for you in California after your mission in Thailand?" Hunt continued.

Castle nodded.

"Not that it prevented you from getting yourself shot," Hunt added. "But son, there's a lot more to the story. I wasn't free to tell it then or even after the two of you took down part of the rogue operation and Caleb Brown shot you again and shot Kate. But the mess is pretty much cleaned up now, so with Hayley gone, I decided it was time to fill you in on the details, if for no other reason than to keep you from going snooping again some day on your own. The next time you stick your nose where it doesn't belong, you may not wake up from the bullet – either of you."

The ball dropped.

Hunt perched on the edge of a deep chair. "First of all, son, your memory was wiped twice. The first time was after your mission in Thailand. You know some of what that was all about, in terms of a threat from Al Qaeda. What you don't know is why you ended up in California, or much of what happened after that and why Hayley was involved."

"That's true," Castle acknowledged. "There are still a lot of holes, but given what happened, I decided I would be a fool to try to fill them."

"But yet the two of you almost died anyway. Son, while you were undergoing your first memory adjustment, you heard something, and the man you know as Jenkins wasn't aware that he needed to remove it from your brain. There was some chatter from the unit, Lokstat, that had been supporting Bracken. They were concerned about what Kate might have uncovered in her investigations. Mason was there, as was Caleb Brown. You heard enough to send you after Caleb in California. I knew that, but I couldn't help you, I was about to be deployed to Afghanistan to do mop-up on the group that ran the Thailand operation. Hayley was working a case out in California, so I asked for her help. She approached you and told you she could help you find Caleb. Actually she was supposed to keep you away from him, but you were too good and too stubborn and walked yourself right into a bullet. That was when Hayley helped you record your message to yourself and you went back to Jenkins. You know about the elaborate con that was set up to convince everyone that you'd gotten cold feet about your wedding and run away. What you don't know is that it was done against your wishes, All you wanted to do was forget. You never wanted Kate or your family to think you'd willingly deserted them. When you were taken to Massachusetts to help with the set up, you tried to prevent it. You were not successful. Jenkins administered the drugs and the suggestions, but before they could fully take effect, you took off in the dinghy they found you in. One of Jenkin's men was a member of the Loksat Cabal. He went after you and shot at you before Jenkins could stop him."

"That's how the bullet holes got in the boat," Castle realized.

"That's right," Hunt confirmed. "And you went too far out to sea for Jenkins to retrieve you. The boat was tracked and it was determined that you would drift to where you would probably be picked up alive. The company wasn't willing to intervene any further. If it makes you feel any better, the agent who tried to shoot you again went down with the rest of Loksat."

"So if all of Loksat is gone, what would be the problem if Kate and I tried to investigate further?" Castle asked. "It sounds like there's nothing left to find."

"The problem," Hunt replied, "is that the whole thing was such a giant clusterfuck that the agency was embarrassed. The agency doesn't like to be embarrassed son, most especially with some of the new leadership that has come in. People like me make embarrassments disappear. You would never want someone like me after you or Kate."

Castle stared into the eyes of a man he knew could and had taken life without remorse. Then he reached for Kate's hand. "No, I wouldn't."

"So that's it," Hunt declared, rising from his chair. He hesitated for a moment. "It would be nice to start the year by seeing my grandchildren. I saw Alexis at the memorial, even if she didn't see me, but I'd like to see the others. They're still too young to remember seeing me."

Castle nodded and led the way. Hunt looked in on Lily, who was curled up with her elephant, but opened her eyes for a moment. Then Hunt followed Castle to the nursery. Castle pointed to the crib holding the larger twin and a stuffed dog with floppy ears. "That's Jake. Lily picked out the dog for him." Castle pointed to the other crib. "This is Reese and Lily thought he deserved the tiger."

Hunt's smile etched creases deeper that Castle's but in almost identical places. "Lily is big on menageries, isn't she? Think she'll grow up to be a vet?"

"She's always been terrific at puzzles and lately she shows real signs of inheriting detective skills. She might decide to join the family business."

"Oh God," Hunt groaned. "I hope she shows more sense than her parents."

"You mean sense like fathering a son and only talking to him once in forty years?" Castle retorted.

Hunt shrugged. "Touché, Richard. But listen, all I was trying to do was keep you and your mother, and then Alexis safe. I hope you are better with these little ones than I was with you."

"I already am Hunt, because I'm here. I'm here every day. And I'm going to try my damnedest to keep being here. That you can count on."

Hunt clamped a hand on Castle's shoulder. "Son, I'm sure I can."

"You know," Castle told Kate after Hunt had once more disappeared into the night, "Lily actually saw my father. She doesn't forget much of anything and I wouldn't put money on her forgetting him."

"No Castle," Kate agreed. "Neither would I."


	118. Chapter 118

Life Goes On

Chapter 118

The new arrival wasn't very tall, five seven at most. Next to Lagi he looked like a Munchkin. But he had muscle on him. In one hand he held a guitar case, the other lugged a keyboard, but his movements were still easy and smooth. Lagi introduced him to the Castles. Lily's eyes curiously examined every inch of the newcomer before excitedly fixing on the keyboard. "This is Kirk Johnson. Lily, you and Kirk can have a lot of fun together," Lagi explained.

"Lily play song?" Lily inquired hopefully.

"If it's all right with your Mom and Dad," Kirk replied.

Kate and Rick looked at each other doubtfully. "Jake and Reese are sleeping," Castle reminded his daughter. "You don't want to wake them up."

"She can use earphones," Kirk suggested. "we can plug in two sets, so I can hear what she can do."

"Kirk, are you in child development like Lagi?" Kate queried.

"I'm studying to be a musical therapist, but my concentration will be working with children," Kirk explained.

"That means he has to play just about every instrument, among many other things," Lagi added. "It's a very demanding field of study and Kirk is very talented. When we're up and running, he'll be working with us at the school as well."

"Play song," Lily repeated impatiently.

Castle nodded. "Go ahead."

I have some things I need to take care of," Lagi apologized, "so I'll leave Kirk and Lily to the music."

"There's a record function. I'll make a sound file and later you can listen to what she does," Kirk offered Rick and Kate. Kirk put the keyboard on the play table in Lily's room where she could reach it easily. He showed her what notes to play, a few at a time, until she was able to manage "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" by herself. She was delighted and danced around the room as a twinkling star before deciding that she and Kirk deserved cookies for their efforts. After their snack, Kirk stayed for another hour showing Lily some musical games, until he excused himself to go to class.

That night, behind the closed door of their bedroom, Kate and Castle listened on Castle's laptop to the file Kirk had emailed to them. Castle reached for Kate's hand. "It's something, isn't it? That was the first song Alexis learned when she started on the violin too, but she was years older than Lily is. Who knows? Before long they may form a family band."

Kate rolled her eyes. "I think that may be a while, Castle. But Kirk is terrific with Lily and she really likes him. And if I know you, you've already run a background check."

"I had Ryan do it," Castle confessed. "There was just one flag. Kirk has a brother who got into some trouble. He's in a band and he got busted for smoking weed. That was in New York. But he's moved to Colorado, in fact his whole band has, so it's no longer an issue, not a legal one anyway. And Kirk is clean, better than clean. He's been working with kids with disabilities since he was in high school, teaching music or just playing it for them. It looks like he found his calling early. Lily is probably a piece of cake for him. But having him here may be short term. Lily will be working with him at Lagi's school, when she starts there. Or she could do both. We'll just have to see how it works out."

"Speaking of things working out, did Ryan tell you anything about how things are going for Espo's wedding?" Kate asked. "It is this weekend. Alexis and Sergei are going too. We're lucky that Tatiana said she could watch Lily and the twins for us."

"There are definite advantages to extended families," Castle agreed. "Ryan said that it's going to be a major affair in Espo's old neighborhood. After the wedding ceremony there's going to be a celebration at the center where Maria works. You knew that. They're taking over the gym for the day. But I got the impression that everyone is invited and almost everyone is bringing food. It sounds like it's going to be some kind of fiesta."

"I'm almost afraid to ask. What are we bringing, Castle?"

"More accurately we are having something brought," Castle replied. "All the pleasure and none of the clean up. I've lined up the Flan Fan truck. Their caramel sauce is to die for. They'll have the dark coffee that goes with the flan, too."

Kate snuggled into his shoulder. "Sounds great."

* * *

Rather than a caravan of cars, a river of celebrants flowed down the sidewalk from the church to the counseling center, where the sounds of a band warming up could already be heard. A line of tables had been set up along one side of the gymnasium for contributions of food. There was seating in the bleachers, where the Castles found a place, as did Alexis and Sergei. There were also a few tables, mostly for the more senior attendees. Much of the floor space had been set aside for dancing. Javier and Maria Esposito occupied a dais with the wedding party, including Kevin and Jenny Ryan. Kevin rose to make a speech.

"Uh oh," Kate muttered.

"It'll be fine," Castle whispered.

"Did you write it for him?" Kate whispered back.

Castle shook his head. "No but he asked me to take a look. I didn't have many suggestions."

"When Javi and I first became partners, I didn't know what to expect," Ryan began. "We came from different backgrounds, even different divisions of the N.Y.P.D.. I had been drilled by nuns, he had been drilled by the army. But somehow we became more than partners, more than friends, we became brothers. He rejoiced for me when I found Jenny and I couldn't be happier that he has finally found his missing half in Maria. We've chosen different directions now, but our bond is as strong as ever. He will always be my brother and I know you will join me in wishing my brother and his bride a long and happy life together. But if life throws obstacles in their path, I know that by the strength of their love, they will overcome them and triumph. To Maria and Javier!"

Ryan raised his glass and the band began to play. Javier and Maria took the floor for the first dance, after which many of the guests, including the Castles and Kasparovs joined them. Kate laid her head against Castle's shoulder. "I've missed this. Dancing with you, I mean."

"Me too," Castle agreed. "The only one who's been dancing at our place has been Lily. Our lives have just been so crammed full, I haven't even thought about it."

"Me either," Kate confided. "It's been hard enough just trying to make it through to the twins' next nap."

"Tell you what," Castle proposed. Let's set aside a time every night we're home together. After Lily's in bed and when the twins are asleep, we'll have at least one dance - long and slow."

"That sounds wonderful Castle. Then what do we do after we dance?"

"Whatever we want to do, Kate. Whatever feels right."

Kate pressed closer, her hand cupping the back of his neck. "Whatever feel right," she repeated. "Castle you have a deal."


	119. Chapter 119

Life Goes On

Chapter 119

The twins were asleep, Castle was acting out a bedtime story for Lily, and Kate was hunched over her computer. Trying to track down victims of AIDS was a frustrating task. Going through death records seemed hopeless. For the most part, a cause of death listed was a complication: an infection, cancer, or some other disease that a healthy immune system might have resisted. And when she found one that was actually attributed to HIV, further information was shrouded in privacy protections. She needed advice and she knew the best person to ask. She grabbed for her phone.

"Hey girl," Lanie responded. "I saw you and Castle on the dance floor at Javi's wedding but we didn't get much of a chance to talk. What's going on with you?"

I'm beating my head against a wall," Kate moaned. "I need medical help. Lanie, you know that Drumpf is my target with Fill in the Cracks right now. I've been looking for prosecutable outcomes of the parties he threw with that scumbag Bernstein. There was a woman named Liz Bonner who was involved in the whole thing. She recruited girls for the parties and when that gig was over, she ended up working the streets. But here's the thing. She picked up HIV, died of it. I'm looking for men she might have passed it to, deaths that might in some way be attributed to the activities of Drumpf and Bernstein. I'm having a tough time tracking down possible victims. What cause of death would most likely stem from HIV and not much else?"

"Well it's nice to talk to you Kate too, and I'm fine, thank you for asking," Lanie teased. "Medical help isn't all you need. A few social skills wouldn't hurt either."

"Sorry Lanie, even with Castle's help, the twins take up so much of my time that when I have a chance to work on this case, I get caught up."

"Yeah Kate, I get it. I think your girls have grown two cup sizes feeding those little guys. Although I bet Castle is loving it."

"He'd be loving it a lot more if we could have an uninterrupted night's sleep," Kate confided. "But, Lanie, I really could use some help on the case. I've got to take Drumpf down. Is there a cause of death I should be looking at?"

"Kate there are a lot of opportunistic infections and they infect others besides HIV patients. Chemo or anything that depresses the immune system will make someone vulnerable. But you might have the most luck looking for pneumocystis. It hits a lot of HIV patients, and it hit a lot more before the meds were as refined as they are now. Look for men who were young, who you'd have expected to be healthy. Their deaths would raise the most flags. Whatever you do, you're still going to be looking for a needle in a field of haystacks if you expect to trace the disease to an encounter with a particular hooker, especially a dead one. I'm sorry, but that's the best I can do."

"That's a lot, Lanie, thank you."

"You're welcome," Lanie acknowledged, "but next time you call me, girlfriend, you better have something more fun to talk about, like when I can come play with those hungry boys of yours."

"God Lanie, anytime you're free. You might even get some of Castle's special brownies. We always stow away a few that Lily doesn't know about."

"It's a deal," Lanie agreed."I'll call you."

"Great," Kate replied, ending the call.

As she hung up, she felt Castle's hands massaging her shoulders. He pressed a kiss into the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder. Kate felt the effects a lot lower. "I know you've been hot on the trail, but after a long and strenuous version of Lily and the Prince of Alderan, our daughter is asleep. And her brothers remain that way. Time to fulfill our own wedding promise." Castle offered his hand. "So Kate, may I have a dance?" Kate nodded and rose, letting Castle lead the way to the living room. "We don't have a potter's wheel, but I thought you might like some 'blue-eyed soul,'" he said, pushing a button on a remote control. Kate recognized the introduction to _Unchained Melody_. Castle pulled her into his arms. Slowly, with little air between them, they moved across the floor

Even when the music died away, they stood swaying slightly and still holding each other. "I thought I'd be ready to go back to my work after our dance," Kate confessed, "but I'm not."

"What are you ready to do?" Castle murmured, his voice husky with arousal.

Kate loosed a button on his shirt. "Another dance, but with our own music."

"You have every spot on my card," Castle whispered.

Fingers intertwined, they drifted into the bedroom. Kate eased herself down onto the satin comforter. Castle stood gazing at her for a moment before covering her with his body, their lips meeting softly. Castle smoothed the hair from her face. "I want to look at you. You know you're even more beautiful than the day you flashed your badge at my book party?"

"You're not so bad yourself, Castle." Kate pulled at the snaps on her blouse. "What if I flash you something else?"

Castle nipped at the flesh above her bra. "Truly impressive Kate."

Kate palmed the fullness growing beneath his zipper. "That makes two of us."

"We could flash each other," Castle suggested.

"Great minds think alike," Kate responded

Anxious fingers hurriedly detached fasteners, tossing garments aside. Castle's lips swept over her body, loving both the creamy flesh and the scars that trumpeted his wife's survival. She ran her palms over the warm breadth of his back as her internal storm grew in intensity. As her need grew, her own hand offered relief. Castle pushed it aside, replacing it with his mouth. Kate gasped, arching into his questing tongue. Writhing beneath him, she plunged her fingers into his hair, bringing him deeper. She was open, gaping desire pleading to be filled. "Castle..." Her throat constricted with a need her hand sought to communicate. She grasped the length of him, full and hot beneath her encircling fingers.

His body jerked at her touch and he drew back, allowing her to guide him. At the first thrust, her unseen muscles grabbed and held him. Their lips collided as their bodies moved, simultaneously seeking and resisting an ending. Finally, it swept over them of its own accord. The eruption within her threw Kate tightly against Castle's body and they grasped each other through the convulsive waves.

Rolling to his back, Castle clasped Kate tightly against his chest and lightly brushed his mouth against her sweat dampened hair. "Hell of a dance, Kate. Hell of a dance."

"Yeah Babe, somehow I don't think they teach those steps at Arthur Murray."

Castle nuzzled the top of her head with his cheek. "No, those were our own personal improvisations. Who knows what the next melody will inspire?"

A plaintive wail issued through the speaker of the baby monitor. Kate pulled herself up and reached for the nearest piece of clothing, Castle's shirt. "Well I know what that one will inspire. Care to join me?"

"We answer to our masters' call."

A/N For those too young to remember, _Unchained Melody_ was the music played during a very romantic scene involving a potter's wheel, in the movie _Ghost,_ with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. The song was by the Righteous Brothers, who were known as "blue eyed soul."


	120. Chapter 120

Life Goes On

Chapter 120

Jake had just fallen asleep in Castle's arms after half an hour of Castle lugging him back and forth across the living room, when Kate's yell of "Got you!" echoed through the house. Jake's eyes and mouth simultaneously sprang open and a wail hit Castle in the face. Holding the protesting baby, Castle strode to the open doorway of Kate's office. "Kate, what the hell?"

Kate looked up, a triumphant grin still splitting her face. "Castle, I found him! This bastard Curtis Renfro; his family was proud that he was friends with Drumpf. They put it in his obituary, right along with his death being due to pneumocystis. He was only thirty-five, Castle. That's exactly what Lanie told me to look for. If he went to Bernstein's parties, he could be my key. I've got to talk to anyone who knew him."

Castle looked at his watch. "It's midnight Kate. I think the calls will have to wait until morning, which Jake obviously doesn't want to do. Maybe he wants something from Mama that Daddy just can't do."

Kate held out her arms."I'm sorry Castle, I know he's been giving you a hard time. I'll take him."

Castle handed over the baby, who immediately went after what Castle was lacking. "Can't say that I blame him," Castle commented as Kate opened her shirt. "Sucking on rubber is never quite the same."

"Castle, I'm not even going to ask how you came to that conclusion," Kate quipped.

"Probably best left unsaid," Castle agreed. "But while our son is indulging himself, I'm going to make some notes for Sammy. One thing about walking the floor. It does put the brain in motion."

"Alright Castle, with luck, maybe we can meet up in bed in a little while," Kate hoped.

Castle gave her a lopsided smile. "Crossing my fingers."

* * *

Castle opened his eyes. Was that actually sun coming through the window of the bedroom? He reached for his watch on the bedside table. The face indicated a little past seven thirty. It took a hard start, but the twins had actually slept more than six hours! He looked over at Kate sprawled beside him, one leg sticking out from under the covers. It was typical Kate. She never could decide if she was hot or cold. He had little doubt that she would be roused from her unconscious indecision at any moment, but while the lull continued, he would take advantage of the quietude and attempt to make waffles. If Kate was going to be chasing hot leads between baby duties, she would need some fuel. He pulled on a robe and headed for the kitchen, sticking his head into Lily's room and the nursery on the way. Everything was quiet, the rarest of moments.

Castle had just finished separating the eggs when the lull ended. Both twins awoke and Lily wandered into the kitchen. Castle quickly filled a bowl with cereal and poured juice for his daughter. He grabbed a bottle from the fridge, ran it under hot water and went to help Kate. That morning it was Reese who was most insistent, having gone longer without a meal than his brother. Kate was in one of the rockers holding him. Jake increased the level of his demands as Castle entered the room, now more than willing to accept the bottle. Holding Jake, Castle returned to the kitchen to check on Lily, who protested that she didn't want cereal, she wanted what Daddy had been making.

Castle sighed. Normalcy had returned, but at least he didn't have to force his eyes to stay open with caffeine. He had almost forgotten what a truly marvelous thing sleep could be.

Forty-five minutes later, Kate was in the shower and Castle was well on his way to fulfilling Lily's request, when the phone rang. Castle was tempted to ignore it, but the I.D. indicated Lanie. Trying to keep a careful eye on the indicator light on his Belgian waffle maker, he picked up the phone to greet the M.E.. "Oh, Castle, I tried to get Kate's cell," Lanie apologized, "but she didn't pick up. I have a new guest she'll want to know about."

"Who?" Castle asked.

"Bernstein," Lanie replied.

"Drumpf"s Bernstein?" Castle questioned.

"The dirt bag is lying on my table," Lanie confirmed. "And Castle, parts of him are missing. I'd say man parts, but he doesn't deserve the description."

Castle saw the light go out and automatically flipped open his appliance. "Yeah, well it couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Kate's in the shower, but under the circumstances I think she'll want to take your call."

* * *

Esposito was still on his honeymoon and Grant Sullivan had caught Bernstein's murder. He was wary of sharing details with Kate, but after intervention from Victoria Gates, gushed information. Bernstein had been found in the bedroom of his mansion. His body was discovered by a maid. The mansion had security cameras on the grounds as well as a camera system serving an entirely different purpose in the bedroom. The memories of both systems had been wiped. Whoever murdered Bernstein had been familiar with the house. Tech was scrubbing traffic footage, but so far nothing had shown up. Fingerprints were being checked against the staff, as was DNA. So far Sully had no suspects, and given Kate's research and Gates' blessing, he was happy to accept any theories or information Kate might have to offer. Kate told him she'd get back to him.

Kate pushed her icon for Lanie. "Hey girl," the M.E. responded. "I hear Gates has issued a directive that Fill in the Cracks is in on this case. I'm waiting on DNA and tox, so I was thinking I'd take a long lunch and come up there. I can bring you what results I have and sneak in some time with the babies."

"That sounds great, Lanie. Lily will love to see you, and you can meet Kirk."

"And I would love to see her adorable little face too, and the music man. I should be there around noon. Castle better have saved me some brownies. "

"If he didn't, I'll make sure he makes a fresh batch," Kate assured her friend.

When Lanie arrived, both twins were up, Lily was in deep concentration over her keyboard, and Castle had a pan of brownies cooling out of Lily's reach while he worked on lunch. Lanie handed Kate a folder and immediately began playing with Reese. Kate scanned the contents. "So he was smothered and then someone cut off his penis and balls?"

Lanie nodded and her voice rose an octave. "That's ri-ight," she trilled, smiling at Reese. "Someone put a pillow over his face. There were no signs of a struggle. Whoever it was must have found him sleeping. He or she wasn't afraid of discovery either. The removal was no rush job. The cuts were clean with no ragged edges."

"Someone with surgical experience?" Kate wondered.

"More likely kitchen experience. The cuts looked more like they were from an upscale carving knife than a scalpel. Your killer could be a chef, or at least a good cook. I think it might have been a woman."

"Why?" Kate asked.

"Look at the photo in the back, Kate. Does the pad covering the wound look familiar?"

Kate flipped to the back of the folder. "Oh wow! Extra long with wings. It looks like the murderer wanted to make Bernstein feel like a woman."

"One with heavy bleeding," Lanie added. "If it was a woman, she was one pissed off lady."

"Uh huh," Kate agreed. "I bet where Bernstein is concerned, there are a lot of those."

Castle came in holding a carving knife. "Lunch is ready. Ladies, prepare for something completely different."

Kate started to giggle. "Babe, you have no idea."


	121. Chapter 121

Life Goes On

Chapter 121

Castle went by Kate's office just as she dropped her phone on her desk in disgust. "What's the matter, Kate?"

"When I find someone who admits to knowing Curtis Renfro as more than a casual acquaintance, I feel like I'm getting the party line, Castle. I need to talk to these people face to face, read their body language, like I used to do in the box."

"Unless you're talking Skype, what you're saying is that you need to get out of here," Castle observed.

"I am, Babe." Kate admitted. "I know that would put a lot on you, but maybe when Kirk's with Lily...?"

Castle put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "You fill up the bottles, I'll make it work. But what about the Bernstein murder? You hearing about any progress on that? All of this may be swirling around the same cesspool. While you're working on Renfro, you could trip over something related to the murder. If you do, I hate to think of you out there without backup."

"Castle, if I find something that gives me even the slightest whiff of the Bernstein murder, I'll call Sully," Kate assured him.

"Good, and if he can't be there, call Ryan," Castle urged. "We'll work out the bookkeeping aspects of that with RCI later, but no taking on murder suspects by yourself."

"Yes, Daddy," Kate agreed.

"Kate, I'm serious," Castle insisted. "I know you can still kick ass, I've seen you up in the turret, but you don't even carry a gun anymore. You need to be careful."

Kate reached up to touch his cheek. "I will Babe," I promise.

* * *

Dolly Renfro was a woman in her fifties who tried her best to look like she was in her thirties. On a good day, she might have managed to look mid forties, but her breathy voice was high and so was her skirt. She greeted Kate cautiously. "I can't imagine what interest Fill the Cracks might have in my son, Ms. Beckett. Pneumonia took him much too soon."

"Yes, Ms. Renfro," Kate agreed, "I'm very sorry for your loss. Actually I'm just interested in some people who might have traveled in the same circles. He was a friend of Denny Drumpf's, wasn't he?"

A smile cracked fine lines in Dolly's carefully applied foundation. "Oh yes! In fact, Mr. Drumpf was a bit of a mentor to Curtis, introduced him to many people, even took him to parties. Curtis told me he met some lovely young women there. I was always hoping he'd bring one home." Dolly's eyes teared and Kate hoped the heavy application of mascara was waterproof. "That never got a chance to happen. He was cut down in the prime of his life."

Kate patted Dolly's hand."Yes, I'm sure Mr. Drumpf introduced him to all sorts of wonderful people. Did he ever mention a Liz Bonner? He might have called her Starlight."

Dolly closed her eyes as she remembered. "Yes, he mentioned a Starlight. He said that Mr. Drumpf called her that because she glowed. Curtis never said so, but there was something about the look on his face when he talked about her. I had the feeling that he and Starlight might have done more than just go to the same parties. Mothers do feel these things, you know."

"Well my children are still young, Mrs. Renfro, but I'm sure you're right. You've been very helpful and again, I'm very sorry for your loss."

Kate had taken the Ferrari so Castle would have the sedan in case he needed to transport the children. She waited until she was in the driver's seat before banging her hands against the wheel and shouting an emphatic "yes." Her next stop would be the morgue. If there were records on an autopsy on Curtis Renfro, she wanted Lanie to pull them and have a look. She also wanted to find out if any new evidence had surfaced on Kyle Bernstein's murder.

"DNA?" Lanie repeated. "Girlfriend, I've got DNA out my backside. That man's bedroom made Grand Central Station look low traffic. Most of it is female and we're running that first. There is something interesting though. We have a mother daughter relationship, but neither of them is in the system. The lab sent the results they have so far on the prints, to Sully. You should talk to him."

"Thanks Lanie, I will." Kate opened her tote and pulled out a plastic container."To you from Castle."

Lanie peered inside. "Brownies. Kate, your man has some serious skills in the kitchen."

Kate scrutinized the smile on Lanie's face. "Okay, there was something about the way you said 'man.' Something is up with you. You didn't have a date at Espo's wedding. Are you seeing someone? Out with it, Lanie!"

"I am," Lanie confessed. "He had a family emergency or he would have been at the wedding with me. Do you remember Alan Masters?"

Kate's mouth gaped. "Castle's superhero? Safetyman?"

"Kate, don't you dare make fun. You know we hit it off. We lost touch after your murder case but we met up again at that little bakery around the corner. He bought me a bear claw. And he's really nice and absolutely nothing like Javi. The booty was good but Javi and I were both spinning our wheels for way too long. Javi finally found a woman he could spend his life with. I'm looking for a man I can think about in the long term too. Alan Masters might be the one. I'm still finding out. But don't you go telling Castle. He'll be after the man, testing him for superpowers again."

Kate laughed at the mental image. "I won't tell him Lanie, but honestly I don't think he has time for that sort of thing anymore. We're both trying to fit our work around the kids. He's trying to finish his next book and help me with Fill in the Cracks. And as you pointed out, he takes most of the responsibilities in the kitchen. He still keeps an eye on what Alexis and Ryan are doing at RCI too. The general silliness quotient is declining."

"Don't tell me he's actually growing up!" Lanie exclaimed.

"I wouldn't go that far. He still makes a great fairy prince to Lily's fairy princess. He also still has standing orders at Comicadia," Kate confided. "He's just taking care of business. We both are. And right now we have a lot of it. When Lily starts going to Lagi's school and the twins are a little older, we may see a return of the silly season. He certainly hasn't lost any of his creativity."

"Ooh girl, now why do I think you're not talking about his writing?"

A flush rose in Kate's cheeks. "The writing is great too. But you know, Lanie, I used to worry that marriage would be boring. I was afraid we'd settle into some kind of a routine. But nothing is ever boring with Rick. We need a house, he finds a castle. He doesn't read bedtime stories to Lily, he makes them up and plays all the parts. Even his pancakes have personality. And he understands romance, it's not just booty."

"Kate, you are still hopelessly in love with that crazy writer man," Lanie declared. She smiled wistfully. "I hope I get that lucky."


	122. Chapter 122

Life Goes On

Chapter 122

Coming out of the elevator at the Twelfth, Kate's feet found her old desk of their own accord. The surface was completely obscured by a pile of papers, the remains of a bagel and a half eaten bag of chips. There was no doubt Sully was the current occupant. He came toward her, carrying a can of orange soda. "Beckett, I was just going to call you. We've ID'd some prints." Grant hurriedly pulled a chair to the side of the desk for her to sit in and slid into his own place. Somehow he picked a folder out of the mess and opened it. "No one with a rap sheet has come up. It's mostly members of the staff: maids, Bernstein's private secretary. This one is interesting, Felicia Stutz, a caterer. This is her." Sully pulled out a DMV photo. "She's in the system because she's bonded. Then there's another person from DNA, unidentified. The lab believes it may be Felicia's daughter. The phenotype is right. But according to public records, Felicia doesn't have a daughter."

Kate nodded. "That is interesting. A caterer would certainly know how to use a knife. I'd like to talk to Felicia."

"So would I," Sully agreed. "I sent a unit out to get her, but she wasn't at her work or home address. I figured I'd go ask her employees a few questions, see if anyone has an idea where she went."

"Want some company?" Kate asked.

"It may be a while. I have to requisition another unit. Someone bashed into mine while it was parked at Bernstein's mansion," Sully explained. "Maintenance is still working on it."

"We can take my car, well Castle's car," Kate proposed. "I have his Ferrari."

A grin spread across Sully's face. "Let's go."

* * *

Stutz Catering was huge, with a receptionist, Tilly Garson, guarding the way in. "Ms. Stutz is taking some time off," she explained. "I'm afraid we don't know where. Our manager, Mr. Treacher, is running operations right now. He's extremely busy, but I can see if he has a moment to speak to you."

"Please do that, Ms. Garson," Sully requested.

Barkley Treacher arrived in reception sweaty and with two buttons of his chef's coat open. "I'm sorry, I only have a minute," he apologized. "Without Ms. Stutz, things are crazy."

"Were you expecting her absence?" Kate inquired.

"Actually no," Treacher admitted. "She's always here. We're putting together the food for four different functions and she arranged all of them. Usually she's very hands on, but right now we're going off her notes."

"And you have no way to reach her?" Sully questioned.

Treacher shook his head, exhaling heavily. "She's not picking up her cell. I've sent texts and email but she hasn't gotten back to me. Frankly, I'm a little worried something might have happened to her."

"We can certainly check that out," Sully offered.

"We will need her cell number and her email address," Kate added.

"Yes, Tilly can give them to you," Treacher offered. "Now, you'll have to excuse me, I have a pastry chef who's about to have a meltdown."

Kate's phone dinged a text as she and Sully returned to the car. "On last bottle. I need your bountiful breasts. So do the twins. Castle."

Kate smiled at the screen. "Sully, I need to get back. I'll drop you at the precinct. You'll trace down the cell and the email?"

Sully climbed into the passenger seat and pulled out his cell. "I'll have tech get it started now."

* * *

Castle's jaw was dark with stubble. Strands of hair refused to stay out of his face and there were stains on the shoulder of his shirt. Jake was in his arms. "Rough day?" Kate asked.

"Compared to being shot by a CIA mole, no. But it's had had its tough moments," Castle admitted. "Jake had some tummy bubbles that wouldn't go away." Castle pointed to the stains. "Well, they finally did. Kirk went off to class a couple of hours ago, so I've been trying to keep Lily busy with puzzles and video, but she wants to play warrior princess. Her nose is out of joint because I haven't been able to join her in battle. She's sulking in her bedroom, but at least I know where she is. And Reese just fell asleep about half an hour ago. So share your day on the mean streets of the city with your case deprived husband."

"How about if I take Jake and you take a shower and change," Kate offered. "I'll see if I can put him down and try to cheer up Lily. Then maybe we can talk over a doughnut or something, I'm starved."

"One day back with the cops and you're craving the fruit of the fryer," Castle teased. "But I can do you one better. Carl Swenson was down in Soho today and picked up cronuts. He dropped a couple by."

Kate rounded her lips with the tip of her tongue. "Make it a fast shower, Babe."

* * *

Castle took a large sip from a fresh cup of coffee. "So, to summarize, our presumptive victim of HIV may have slept with Liz Bonner. Kyle Bernstein's murderer is probably the caterer who has a mysterious daughter and has disappeared, and Sully has the messiest desk in the five boroughs."

"Right," Kate confirmed, popping a flaky layer of cronut into her mouth. "So do you have one of your patented Castle stories for me?"

"Kate, you don't patent stories, you copyright them," Castle corrected. "Much easier and much cheaper. But anyway, yes I do. But it's a sad scenario. When Felicia Stutz was young, she ran away from an abusive home. She lived a hard life on the streets. Close to starving, she accepted help from a man who seemed kind. He invited her into his car, offered to take her for a meal. But the meal was all his. He drove her to some secluded spot and raped her. Fearful of being sent back to her parents, Felicia never reported it. There was a child, a girl, but Felicia had no way to care for her. She left her on the steps of a fire station, hoping and praying she'd be cared for.

"Fast forward fourteen or fifteen years. Felicia has pulled herself up by her bootstraps. She has a thriving business as a caterer. Among her clients is Kyle Bernstein. His parties bring in good income and Felicia doesn't know what goes on in the bedrooms upstairs. Maybe she doesn't want to know. But one day she sees a girl at one of the parties. Not only is the girl the spitting image of Felicia as a teenager, but she has a birthmark on her neck, like a small crescent moon. Felicia has an identical mark. Felicia believes the girl is the daughter she abandoned so many years before. She follows her, checks up on her. She finds out her daughter has become a special favorite of Kyle Bernstein. Then the scandal breaks. Bernstein is sent to jail.

"But after just thirteen months, Bernstein is out of jail. The parties start again. One night Felicia sees her daughter at one of them. Then she sees her daughter go upstairs. Years of rage erupt. She stays back after her staff has left, keeping the knife she had used to carve ever so thin and perfect slices of ham, with her. She hides until the household is asleep. Over time she's learned about the outside cameras. She disables them and destroys what's been recorded. She's heard Bernstein's staff talking about the camera system in his bedroom. Sneaking in, she finds Bernstein dead to the world on very expensive booze, or maybe drugs. You didn't tell me what Lanie found on the tox screen. Either way, Felicia disables and wipes that system too. She smothers Bernstein and then sets about carving up a bigger pig than ever produced a ham."

"Castle, the tox screen showed alcohol and opiates," Kate shared. "I don't know about fire stations and birthmarks, but your story is amazingly plausible."

"Yeah, Castle agreed. "Plausible and tragic."


	123. Chapter 123

Life Goes On

Chapter 123

Castle looked up from the stove as Kate came into the kitchen, tucking her cell into her pocket. "Who were you talking to?"

"It was Sully. They got Felicia Stotz's financials. She closed out all her personal accounts and she raided her business account. There's been no activity since then." Kate chewed her lip. "She has cash, Castle. She can go anywhere."

"Not anywhere, Kate, you know that. These days the airlines are suspicious of anyone paying cash. It's very hard to rent a car without a credit card. And she'd be seen on surveillance in most train and bus terminals. She might be able to charter a plane, but doing that with cash would be suspicious too. More likely she's hunkered down in the city, or not too far away, biding her time until the investigation dies down. Face it Kate," Castle declared, "no one, even Sully, is going to break their ass looking for the murderer of a known child molester. He'll put out a good effort and then tuck the banker's boxes into the archives with all the other cold cases."

"But I need her, Castle," Kate protested. "She knows what happened at that house, what happened at those parties. I could use her to bring down Drumpf."

"Kate, she can hardly be the only one," Castle pointed out. "There's Bernstein's staff. They no longer have anything to gain by keeping their mouths shut. There's the catering staff too. If Felicia figured out what was going on upstairs, they might have as well. They might have known what Drumpf was doing. How about Barkley Treacher?"

"Castle, I can't talk to all of those people," Kate protested.

"Kate you don't have too. Remember how good Alexis was undercover at the Advocate's office? We could get her undercover at Stotz's Catering. She could keep her ears open and see what she finds out. It would be RCI working for Fill the Cracks and you could supervise. And in the meantime, Sully has N.Y.P.D. resources to work on Bernstein's murder. He might get lucky."

Kate tucked her hair behind her ear. "Castle that might just work."

* * *

Damn!" Alexis exclaimed, slamming her purse down on her desk.

"What's the matter?" Ryan inquired, looking in from the next office.

"Stotz doesn't have any openings I can fill. They want a van driver, someone who can carry all those big pans of food," Alexis explained. "I know I could do it, but I'm not what they're looking for."

"Maybe I would be," Ryan suggested. "I have an old undercover identity as a driver. As far as I know, it's still good. And carrying catering pans is a piece of cake compared to carrying a sleeping child. I've been spending too much time behind a desk anyway. I can use some time in the field."

"Fine," Alexis agreed, "We've got nothing to lose. You might as well give it a shot."

Ryan knew the natty suits he favored would not make it at Stotz. Nor would his sweater vests, but catering vests would suit him perfectly. Jenny would know where to get something similar, to wear to the interview. Jenny knew where to get anything.

* * *

Castle ran his fingers through the silk of Kate's hair as they did their "The kids are all all asleep dance," to Leonard Cohen's _Hallelujah_. "We should start thinking about Valentine's Day. It's only a couple of days away."

"It is, isn't it?" Kate realized. "The days are kind of sneaking up on me."

"Yeah, no kidding," Castle agreed. "But we haven't been out together since Espo's wedding. The twins are almost sleeping through the night now - most of the time. Alexis told me Svetlana just broke up with her latest beau. She might be available for sitter duty. We could find out."

"Sounds good, Castle. Maybe Maddy could get us in at Q3. She has Jennifer do a special menu for Valentine's Day."

"I had something a little more private in mind," Castle said. He looked at his watch. "It's past a polite time to call Svetlana. I can call her in the morning and if that works out, make some other calls too."

On the final hallelujah, Kate leaned into Castle's shoulder and listened to the last of the guitar chords fade away. More uninterrupted time with her husband sounded wonderful. She hoped they could make it happen.

* * *

Ryan's shoulders hurt. So did his feet. Canvassing was hard on the shoe leather, but lugging pans and then standing on his feet all night behind a buffet table was worse. He was beginning to overhear conversations of the other workers though. Most of the whispering was speculation about where Felicia Stotz had disappeared to. None of that seemed useful, not even for passing onto Sully. But there were snatches here and there about this or that party and what had gone on there. He even heard the name of Drumpf once or twice.

The upside was that Drumpf would be throwing a huge Valentine's bash at his mansion, and Stotz would be the caterer. It would be the perfect entree. Ryan would just have to figure out how to make the most of it. He gazed down the table at the spread of expensive tidbits. The smoked salmon on potato chips was running low. He would have to get another tray.

* * *

Kate looked around the suite Castle had managed to snag at the Marlowe. From the thick burgundy drapes to the huge fireplace, it sang romance. "Castle, I didn't even know this place was open. I thought they'd halted construction."

"Oh they did," Castle acknowledged. "This was one of Drumpf's bankruptcies. He stiffed his contractors for another job and they all walked off. A group of investors picked it up for a song and finished it. It's not fully open to the public yet, but I'm a minor partner. My business manager thought it would be a good investment. It certainly was - in the great evening department. All the investors received notices when suites became available and I grabbed this one. This is kind of a test run before the grand opening, but everything is in place. The kitchen is up and running. The wi fi and satellite TV work, if we even want to bother." Castle wiggled his eyebrows and inclined his head toward the over sized bed. "Or we could christen that."

Kate stroked the rich brocade of the red bedspread, which was accented by red and black satin pillows. "It is beautiful, Castle."

"So, dinner first?" Castle proposed. "I'm told the chef here was snatched away from a hotel in Paris. She specializes in French cuisine, but can accommodate just about anything. "What would be the lady's heart's desire?"

Kate pushed the pillows aside, kicked off her heels and stretched out on the bed. She closed her eyes and let her muscles go limp. "Honestly Castle, you can order for later, but right now it would be great just to relax together without worrying about who needs to be fed or changed."

Castle slipped off his shoes and climbed up beside her. He slipped his arm beneath her and pulled her close, her head resting on his shoulder. He let out long a breath as she snuggled in. "Kate, that sounds perfect to me."


	124. Chapter 124

Life Goes On

Chapter 124

Everything at the Drumpf mansion was on a huge scale. The ceilings stretched skyward, the doors would have admitted an elephant, and the couches would accommodate the most overfed executives. The party contained many of the latter, and they were becoming more so by the second. Stotz had set up a huge buffet table in the middle of the ballroom. Almost every employee of Stotz was involved, including Ryan. Too junior to be at a carving station, he was behind an extra large chafing dish of what were aptly named Fattening Potatoes. They contained both cheese and rich sour cream, and Ryan could almost feel his middle expanding just serving them.

The party had started around seven P.M., with the guests filling large plates and downing both expensive champagne and very old scotch from an open bar. A second bar marked with smirking cupids had been set up. It contained oysters, chili peppers, avocados, and chocolate.

Around eleven P.M., the second bar began to see enthusiastic patronage, and at midnight, the girls were brought in. Heavily made up and dressed seductively, it was hard to determine their ages, but Ryan guessed none of them could have been over sixteen. They sat on the massive laps on the massive couches, indulging in stimulation that involved little conversation. Then one by one, the couples took the ornate elevator to the upper floor.

The smallest bathroom and some chairs in the kitchen had been set aside for use by the staff to take breaks. When Ryan was allowed to take his at one A.M., he made for the bathroom, but checking that he was unobserved, veered for a back staircase. The upper floor was as opulent as the lower level. Large paintings featuring overly flattering portraits of Drumpf and various members of his family, occupied the walls of the hall. The woodwork was carved and the ceilings featured cherubs sculpted in plaster. Wood doors were heavy but not soundproof. Ryan could hear bed springs being heavily depressed and breath coming in rough gasps. Flinching in disgust, he continued down the hall to where the sounds changed to a girl begging for someone to stop, followed by a scream. Instinctively Ryan kicked in the door. Drumpf was there, naked except for his socks. Rolls of fat quivered with effort as he attempted to force himself on a girl secured to heavy bedposts by knotted nylon stockings. He turned to Ryan, his face purple with rage."What the hell do you think you're doing breaking in here like that? I'll have you fired!"

"What I think I'm doing, Denny," Ryan gritted out past the bile in his throat, "is intervening as a human being to stop the rape of a helpless girl." Ryan pulled out his phone. "And what I'm doing now, is calling the police."

Drumpf snorted. "You're nothing! I will have you fired. Hell I'll do it myself. The cops won't do anything to me. I have tremendous power in this city."

"Not over Chief Gates, you don't," Ryan retorted. "And you can't fire me because I don't work for you. My employer and I know the chief very well. I'm pretty well acquainted with the guys in SVU, too. I'll just wait until they get here."

Pulling on pants, Drumpf tried to use his bulk to push Ryan aside and found himself on the floor with his arm twisted painfully behind his back. "You're not going anywhere. Consider this a citizen's arrest."

* * *

The enticing aroma of the _coq au vin_ from a very late dinner still scented the air of the luxurious room when Kate opened her eyes. She shifted sleepily in Castle's arms. "Babe, we need to get back. We promised Svetlana we'd be there before the boys wake up."

Castle pushed up on his elbows. He swiped a hand across his eyes. "Yeah, I'll get dressed."

The buzz of Kate's cell penetrated their drowsy haze. She grabbed the phone from the side table and regarded the screen. "It's Ryan. He was supposed to be working at Drumpf's party tonight."

Ryan's excited voice exploded from the speaker. "Beckett, Castle, we've got him! I caught him in the act. SVU took him in. And the girl he was attacking is willing to testify."

"Is she all right?" Castle asked.

"She was scared, but it looked like Drumpf had too much booze in him to perform. SVU took her to the hospital to get her checked out and they'll refer her for counseling. There were a lot of girls here tonight who will need also that kind of support."

Kate shuddered. "I can imagine, but great work, Ryan," Kate said.

"Now go home to Jenny," Castle urged. "You deserve a valentine of your own."

"I plan to," Ryan assured him.

* * *

Drumpf exploded into the headlines with a featured story by Paul Whittaker. As the story held the news cycle captive for days, the identities of other victims began to emerge. As a guest on the editorial page, Castle wrote the story of Starlight, urging those she might have infected to come forward. As winter melted into spring, wrongful death suits began to bombard the court, aimed at Drumpf, Bernstein's estate, and anyone else associated with Bernstein's parties. One of the first was from Dolly Renfro, mother of Curtis Renfro. With the details of his illness obscure, she had little chance of a win, but with every case, more and more facts were revealed about human trafficking. Victoria Gates set up a special task force to attack the problem. Castle began a book, based on the facts that had come to light.

Working in concert with the police, Fill the Cracks set up a legal assistance center for victims. Several civil rights attorneys, former colleagues of Johanna Beckett, donated their time, as did some law students and paralegals. Maria Esposito and some of her colleagues donated counseling as well. Kate spent as much of her own time as she could at the center. She kept in touch by phone, text, and email when she couldn't be present.

Easter was approaching and with it Lily's third birthday. Castle was preparing a hunt with plastic eggs filled with toys to be hidden around the yard - or in the house if the weather didn't cooperate. Lily was excited about a birthday, cake, and presents. She was even more excited that she would be getting to see Lagi again, and going to his school, now officially named Latu's Trails, for the individual paths that would be set up for each student.

Castle and the other investors had settled on a van to pick up students and bring them home. Drivers were recruited from work study participants at the university and put through a training regimen. Lily was proud that she would be going to school like a big girl. Castle was more nervous than excited. At Lily's party the evening before the big day, the cake and ice cream held no appeal and the candles only the promise of separation. He and Kate herded the toddlers and preschoolers between games and opening gifts, but all he could focus on was the image of his little girl on the van in the morning. He kept imagining the vehicle being broadsided by an evil garbage truck or rammed by a speeding getaway car.

That night Kate woke him as he thrashed in a nightmare. "You know Castle, it's going to be all right. That van has the highest rated safety seats and the driver is better trained than ninety-nine percent of the people on the road. And Lily isn't going to be in it much longer than twenty minutes, maybe half an hour with heavy traffic. We take her on much longer trips ourselves, and she's fine."

"But she's with us Kate. That's the difference. I know everything you're telling me, but my writer's demons are still attacking my fatherly obsessed brain."

Kate wrapped herself around him, snuggling into his chest. "Think this will help keep them at bay?"

Castle encircled her in his arms. "I'm sure it will. But just in case, I think I'm going to follow that van tomorrow."


	125. Chapter 125

Life Goes On

Chapter 125

Castle regarded the twins in their matching Booster Gold high chairs, which they were joyfully covering in rice cereal. "I kinda miss Lily's throne," he remarked as Kate came into the breakfast room.

"It did well at the silent junk auction at the center," Kate reminded him. "And neither of the boys really has the personality for it. Lily still rules the roost."

Castle wiggled his brows at his wife. "She comes by it honestly. Did I hear you on the phone?"

"You did," Kate confirmed. "That was Sully. He's moved on to other cases, but he set himself an alarm in case any of Felicia Stotz's credit cards activated. And one just did. She bought an airline ticket to Samoa."

"Good choice," Castle observed. "Non-extradition country where they speak English. So what's his game plan?"

"The flight's scheduled for early this afternoon, he's going to try to pick her up at the airport," Kate relayed.

"I must admit I have mixed feelings about that," Castle confessed. "I know she's a murderer and all, but I can certainly sympathize with her motives. I would kill someone for my children. In fact, in effect I have, if you count the thugs I helped my father blow up in Paris. Since there's more than enough evidence against Drumpf, I was kinda rooting for her to get away."

"I understand, Castle. But with a good lawyer and pleading diminished capacity, she may be all right with a jury. We can get her some legal help from the center if she needs it," Kate offered. "I'm actually interested to find out how close whatever story she tells comes to the one you made up for her."

"So am I," Castle agreed. "It might work its way into my book. You think Sully would be willing to let us in on the interrogation? Alexis has been looking for excuses to spend time with the twins and Lily. I think she may be viewing it as a practice run. She and Sergei have been talking about trying to start a family."

"I'll ask him. But how do you feel about the prospect of becoming a grandfather, Castle?" Kate queried.

"About thinking of myself as getting older? I hate it, but my body reminds me it's happening, every morning. And the idea of my older daughter's children playing with our kids is a little creepy. Still, having a child is a joy I could never deny Alexis. If that's what she and Sergei want to do, I'll just be the coolest grandfather ever."

Kate fingered off a fleck of rice cereal that had found its way to Castle's cheek. "I wouldn't doubt it for a second."

* * *

A handcuffed Felicia Stotz sat opposite Sully in Interrogation, while Kate and Castle observed through the glass.

"Felicia, we have your prints and your DNA at the murder scene. You ran and you hid. You left your business. No jury will have any problem putting that together to convict you of Kyle Bernstein's murder. But listen, I understand. Bernstein was the worst kind of lowlife. If you explain exactly what happened, I can talk to the D.A., put in a good word for you."

The cuffs rattled as Felicia brought her fists down on the table. "The bastard was screwing my daughter, my fourteen year old daughter. What would you do, detective? What would anyone do?"

"According to public records you don't have a daughter," Sully pointed out.

Felicia blew air threw her lips. "Public records! All it takes is money to take care of those, and my parents had it. I was only sixteen when I had her. I wanted to keep her, but my parents, they said no way. They put me in a private clinic under a phony name. When she was born she was taken away. I never got to see her. I had no idea what happened to her. But I never got over it. Neither did my parents. As soon as they could, they sent me away to culinary school in France. Then when I came back to the states, I started my business. We worked parties, everyone's parties. I didn't worry about who our clients were, just what they wanted served and if they could pay for it." Felicia pointed to a white blaze in her hair. "See this? It's hereditary. My mother had one, so did my grandmother. One night I was working one of Bernstein's parties. I saw a girl with one just like it. It was hard to tell, the way she was dressed, but she could have been the same age as my daughter. And she had the eyes my daughter's father had, hazel, that changed colors with the light. It was one of the things that attracted me to him, but after I got pregnant, my parents never let me see him again. I think my father arranged for his family to move away. Anyway, I saw Bernstein take her upstairs. I followed. I couldn't hear much through the door, but I was afraid of what that son of a bitch was doing to my little girl. After that, I supervised every party my company worked for Bernstein. I needed to see my daughter again and I wanted to find out everything about what went on in that house. I played up to his security chief and found out the details of the cameras. Then I saw Bernstein take my daughter upstairs again. I had knifes. Any good chef always does. I told my people I was saying behind to work out some details for the next party and I hid in the wine cellar. Then when Bernstein was asleep - I think you know the rest."

Sully passed a legal pad and pen across the table. "I'll need you to write it down for me - all of it."

Kate turned to Castle. "Not the background you imagined Babe, but you got the motive right."

"Poor little rich girl is a cliché," Castle mused, "but then I write novels, not true crime. I can take as much license as I want. It's still a great story for a jury."

"She probably won't even get to a jury," Kate speculated. "I'd be willing to bet the D.A. will let her plead down. Given her story, it will be good P.R., and Fill the Cracks can get her whatever help she needs. Ready to go home, Castle?"

Castle checked his watch. "We still have time. Alexis said she'd feed the kids. That should be an education. How about if we stop for a bite for ourselves on the way to Fieldston? We could go to Remy's for old times sake. It's been a long time since you've had one of their shakes."

"You're on!"

Delighted to find their old booth available, Castle perused the menu. "They've made some changes, but they still have your shakes."

"Mm yeah, but they eliminated your mega cheeseburger," Kate noted. "This new barbecue sandwich looks good, with the cucumber slaw. What are you planning to order?"

Castle scanned the offerings. "Not sure yet, but definitely not the thin sliced roast beef. I really don't want to think about carving knives right now."

Under the table, Kate scooted a hand up his thigh. "Babe, neither do I."


	126. Chapter 126

Life Goes On

Chapter 126

Kate blissfully inhaled the steam of her latte. Lily was at school, the twins were asleep and Castle was doing the revisions on the very last chapter of Sammy. At least ten minutes of just relaxing with her coffee and the baseball scores beckoned, when her cell dinged. Lanie's text was a visual shout. "KATE I NEED YOUR HELP."

Baseball forgotten, Kate pressed the contact for her friend, who picked up instantly. "Lanie, what's wrong?"

"Kate, it's Alan."

"What, did you two break up or something?" Kate queried.

"No, we didn't break up. He's in trouble. You remember the case you had where he cited that pharmaceutical company for a chemical spill?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "How could I forget it? That was the case that made Castle think Alan had turned into a superhero."

"Yeah, well Kate, there's been another chemical accident. Two people were killed. I have them here now. It was on the news."

"And in the paper too," Kate added. "I saw it on the front page this morning. But what does that have to do with Alan being in trouble? Won't he be the one making trouble for the company responsible?"

"No Kate, that's just it. Alan had signed off on the place. He said everything was safe. And now they're blaming him. Two deaths, Kate. It could be the end of his career, or worse."

"Lanie, I hate to suggest it, but could he have missed something? I mean everyone makes mistakes," Kate offered gently.

"No way!" Lanie insisted. "Alan told me he went over the place with a fine tooth comb, and I believe him. Something happened or was made to happen after that inspection, Kate."

"Lanie, are you talking about sabotage?" Kate questioned.

"Kate, I don't know what I'm talking about, but the L.A.P.D. can't do anything. OSHA sent a team in, but all they do is look for hazards. If anything, that will make Alan look worse. I need someone coming at this from another place, from Fill the Cracks or RCI - somewhere."

"Lanie, you asked me not to tell Castle about Alan and I haven't," Kate reminded her friend. "But if it's Fill the Cracks or RCI, I can't leave him out of it. He's involved with both, Lanie, financially and in terms of keeping up with what goes on. If you want help, he's going to need to know."

"Alright," Lanie agreed reluctantly. "Just do something, Kate. Alan's been suspended. He's melting down and I can't stand to see him this way."

"Yeah, I understand, Lanie, we will."

* * *

Castle looked up with a grin as Kate came to the doorway of his office. "Hey, I was just going to come find you."

"Finish your revisions?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, almost, but this is better. All the forensic accountants going through Drumpf's financials, they uncovered where the bribes were going to cover up the lack of maintenance on Drumpf's airplanes. It's another crime added to Drumpf's litany of crimes and the feds are looking to charge the guy in the N.T.S.B. with some kind of negligent homicide. Looks like Hayley and the others who died on her plane are finally going to get some measure of justice."

"That's great, Castle, but we have a new problem, well Lanie has a problem."

Castle's smile quickly vanished as Kate explained. "Sounds like we need to get someone into that plant. But we need to get all the details from Alan. Ask Lanie to bring him to dinner or better still a late supper. We don't need Lily hearing any of this. I'll invite Alexis and we'll see what we can work out."

* * *

Alan Masters regarded the Castles' castle with an inspectors eye, as Castle poured drinks. "Have you had your wiring checked? Some of these houses..."

"I have," Castle confirmed, "all upgraded to copper. We have full house surge protection and ground fault circuit protectors in all the bathrooms and in the kitchen. And before you ask, the gas connections were all checked too and all the outlets have covers to protect the kids."

"Sorry can't help it," Alan apologized.

"Just a sign of how good he is," Lanie declared. "Too good to let a safety hazard get by him."

"So," Castle proposed, "Alan, why don't your start at the beginning and tell Kate and Alexis and me exactly what happened."

Alan gulped white wine from a crystal flute. "I did a yearly inspection at Batchit. Everything was up to code. All the gas tanks were chained down. None of the exits were obstructed. The chemical tanks were all double contained and there was no sign of a leak anywhere. They even had the safety signs posted in three languages and I usually only look for two."

"Which three languages?" Castle inquired.

"English, Spanish, and Hebrew. Batchit has some kind of Israeli partnership. You know there's a lot of that. Israel is very big in tech development. Anyway, I was there all day and I didn't find a thing to cite them for."

"Is that normal?" Kate questioned.

"No it isn't," Masters responded. "I almost always find something. No one is that perfect. The first time I spot something, it's not even a fine. I just write it up and come back in thirty days to make sure its fixed. But there was nothing to write up."

"Like it was staged?" Alexis suggested. "Do companies prepare for inspections?"

"We would expect them too," Alan explained, "so I don't let companies know when I'm coming in. I just show up. If they were going to stage something, they'd need to know my schedule, and sometimes I don't know it myself until the morning when I plan my visits. The day I was there, that plant was safe."

"So how did those people die?" Kate pressed.

"Kate, it wasn't even anything that would normally be thought of as toxic," Lanie put in. "There are dangerous chemicals at Batchit and they have to be handled under a blanket of nitrogen to keep them from catching fire. Nitrogen is most of what we breathe all the time. But when it displaces oxygen, people don't realize what's happening. There's no odor, they just pass out and if they don't get oxygen quickly, they die."

"From the report, there was a nitrogen leak in an airtight lab," Alan continued. "The tech who was working in there collapsed. Then another tech put on breathing gear to go rescue him, but it was fed from a nitrogen tank instead of with air. He died too. Those tanks were color coded. There shouldn't have been a way to mix them up and there shouldn't have been a leak in the first place."

"So someone wanted those men to die," Castle concluded. "We're not talking about an accident, we're talking about a murder, two murders."

Lanie's eyes flashed. "But since everything's being blamed on Alan, the N.Y.P.D. doesn't see it that way. They won't even look at the case."

"Looks like this is one hell of a crack, Kate." Castle observed,

"If what Alan says is true, it is," Kate agreed. "We need to investigate Batchit, find out what is going on there and what the motive would be to take out two techs."

"I have enough advanced chemistry and physics courses to at least get hired as a tech, and they're down a couple," Alexis offered. "I should be able to get in there."

"Well if you do," Castle cautioned, "be careful. And bring your own breathing gear."

Alexis reached over to pat his hand. "Don't worry Dad, I will."


	127. Chapter 127

Life Goes On

Chapter 127

Alexis tried her best to smooth her lab coat. Most of the time she enjoyed having the voluptuous figure she'd inherited, along with her hair color, from her mother. Unfortunately it didn't fit well under the unisex cover-ups worn by techs at Batchit. She'd had little trouble obtaining a position. The company was satisfied with her academic background and even more satisfied that they wouldn't have to cope with any of the visa requirements that were an issue with filling so many technical positions.

Her first day would be devoted to the study of the safety and general procedures manual. Passing a test on it was a requirement before she was actually allowed to work. She would have been anxious to commit as much of it to memory as she could in any event, since it might have direct impact on Alan's case. If she had any time left, she could review the outline of the project on which she'd be working.

Alexis examined page after page in a loose leaf binder. Much of it gave, in greater detail, the precautions Alan had discussed over her father's pasta. Alan's initials were after every section, showing he had approved them. She went through it several times, closing her eyes and picturing the pages, as Castle had taught her when she was little, paving the way to her academic stardom. When she was sure she'd taken it all in, she called her supervisor, who gave her a sign-on for the computer administered exam. Alexis was irked that she had only scored a ninety-nine instead of one hundred, but a score of eighty-five was all that was required. Once Alexis was certified, she was given access to the files she would need to understand the particulars of her job.

Batchit was researching derivatives of hydrazine for pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and corrosion inhibitors. Hydrazine itself was classed at the highest level of hazard. It would react with air and almost anything else, causing fires and explosions, and was kept in tightly controlled in fireproof cabinets. Alexis would be working with it and its derivatives in a glove box filled with nitrogen. The job was far from the most pleasant in the lab, but it would give Alexis a chance to check out anyone with access to the nitrogen system. She was also looking forward to being able to exchange lab shop talk with Sergei at the end of the day.

* * *

The morning was not going well for Castle. His editor at Curtis and Strom had not been satisfied with his revisions on Sammy, and he was being forced to delete some of the phrases to which he had become most attached. He could see her point about the flavor of his prose having too much of a tinge of pulp, but still, it tore at his writer's soul.

Kate was gone for the morning, taking a law seminar in preparation for starting a class in a summer session, and Reese had just developed red spots on his face. That meant a trip to the pediatrician, hauling both twins. Castle consulted his watch. It was about time to get them dressed for the trip. At least it meant he could stop struggling with the exact wording of a sentence for a while.

The waiting room in Dr. Patricia Lauer's office was packed. Several patients were making their objections to the venue loudly known and both Reese and Jake joined in the chorus. Castle tried his best to distract them with toys, peek-a-boo, and anything else he could thing of, but by the time Reese was examined, the flush on his face born of his protests almost obscured the spots.

"He has no fever," Lauer noted. "Did he have one? Was he irritable? We've had a lot of cases of roseola through here recently."

Castle informed her that right up until that morning, Reese had been fine.

"Most likely an allergy then," Lauer decided. "If he's still just on breast milk and rice cereal, it may be something he's come in contact with. Any change in anything he might have had against his face? Are you washing his bedding in a different detergent? Any new toys?"

"Damn!" Castle exclaimed. "Lily decided she was too big a girl for some fabric baby books she had, and tried to give them to Reese and Jake. Jake wasn't interested, but Reese was chewing on one. He still has it in his crib."

"That could be it," Lauer responded. "Get it out of his crib and change his bedding. Don't let him near anything else that's new and give me a call if the rash doesn't clear up in a couple of days. But Mr. Castle, this may be a harbinger of things to come. You're going to have to be very careful about what Reese comes in contact with and since they're identical twins, you should take the same precautions with Jake. I'd stick with straight up washable cotton for clothes and bedding, with no perfume in the detergent they're washed in. Be careful of toys too, especially if they're imported. Sometimes there are chemicals present in the inks or paints that are only detected after they become a problem. Keep it simple. And we won't want to introduce any new foods for now either. If your wife decides to stop nursing, let me know and I'll recommend a formula that is most likely to be well tolerated."

Recognizing that he and Kate might have a new set of challenges ahead of them, Castle put notes on his phone of what Lauer had said and took the boys home.

* * *

Kate looked uncomfortably around her seminar. Almost everyone was younger than she was - a lot younger. At the rate she was going, Reese and Jake could be teenagers by the time she earned a law degree, if she earned a law degree. Still, she was running up against matters of law every day. It had been obvious when she was Public Advocate, but the law still played a great part in what she did with Fill the Cracks. It was wonderful that the center had such qualified volunteers, but it left her feeling wanting in the face of their expertise. Whatever it took to succeed, she'd push through. She was just lucky that Castle had her back.

She ran her fingers over her wedding ring. Castle more than had her back. After the contributions Fill the Cracks received from its part in the Drumpf and Bernstein affair, it was standing very nicely on its own, but without Castle's initial support, it wouldn't exist. She couldn't imagine a better father for Lily and the twins, and he took pretty good care of her too. He'd even agreed to avoid mentioning anything about superheroes around Alan, even though she knew he was biting his tongue to accomplish that goal.

The professor's voice sounded far away and Kate realized she was drifting. She forced her attention back to the lecture. The subject was whistle blowers, something with which Kate had some experience. She'd had a couple of murder victims who'd met that description. She began to wonder if she had two more. Could that be why someone would have wanted to take out the techs at Batchit? The rules of the seminar strictly demanded that cell phones be turned off. She couldn't text Alexis with her query. But she made a note to herself to contact her step daughter as soon as class was over.


	128. Chapter 128

Life Goes On

Chapter 128

Kate poked her head into Castle's office to find him finishing a phone conversation with Sergei. "What was that all about?"

"Oh, the allergy Dr. Bauer thinks Reese might have to the fabric book Lily gave him, I was asking Sergei for a recommendation for a lab to send the thing to. He said he could run it himself after hours if he could get permission from his supervisor. He thinks that since it appears there might be a possible hazard to people in the city, he might be able to make a case. He's going to get back to me."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Ever the city bureaucracy. Glad I'm out of it. So how is Reese doing?"

"Both boys have been napping on and off. But I'm sure he'll be glad to see you, or better still taste you. Jake too. And when you're through with the twins, so would I," Castle added wiggling an eyebrow.

Kate stuck a finger in the opening of his shirt. "Yeah, well we can talk about that later. Lily's due home soon, isn't she?"

Castle looked at the time in the corner of his screen. "Maybe fifteen minutes, depending on the traffic. She'll probably be wanting grilled cheese. That's her newest food obsession. She's been going through the animal shapes from those big cookie cutters I have. Friday she wanted to eat a hippo. Who knows what she'll be in the mood for today."

"Hmm," Kate mused, "I would have thought she'd be strictly into elephants."

"Oh she tried. But the cheese kept oozing out the sides of the trunks," Castle explained, "so she expanded her horizons. Well if you can take care of the boys, I'll take care of our daughter the explorer, and then you can tell me about the fascinating world of law seminars."

"Deal," Kate agreed.

"So, Kate finished explaining, "it occurred to me that the murders at Batchit might be about whistle blowing. What do you think?"

"I was leaning toward my default, terrorist conspiracy," Castle replied. "Especially given Israeli involvement. But nitrogen intoxication doesn't really have a terrorist flair. What did Alexis say?"

"She really has no idea yet," Kate relayed, "but she'll be seeing what she can pick up. I called Lanie to let her know Alexis is in at Batchit. She's hoping that will make Alan feel better about the whole thing. She said she's having having trouble getting him out of his pajamas."

Castle nodded. "Been there."

"Yes, I remember," Kate commented. "Although as guys in pajamas go, you looked pretty good."

Castle stuck out his lower lip. "Just pretty good?"

Kate giggled. "Castle, you look like Lily when she thinks we're paying too much attention to the twins. Alright, your pajamas highlighted your muscular physique and the royal blue ones brought out your eyes. But you still look better dressed, or better still, undressed."

"I'll take that," Castle conceded. His cell chimed. "That's Sergei. He said his supervisor agreed to let him run the tests on the book. If you can hold the fort for a while, I'll get it down to him."

"I think I can manage, Castle."

* * *

Castle wasn't allowed past the anteroom of the forensics lab, but Sergei came out to meet him. Rick handed him the book. "Sergei, I really appreciate this."

"No sweat, Rick. Reese is family. Besides, this is interesting to me. It looks like Reese has thoroughly gummed it, so it's hard to read, but I think this is marked, "Made in the U.S.A.. That doesn't mean it was. The pages could have been printed in China and just assembled here. Or it could have come from one of the factories in the Marianas that are allowed to put a U.S. label on things. Not that the controls on toxics are perfect here either. You wouldn't believe what the GC-Mass Spec spits out sometimes, or maybe you would. Anyway, I'll check it out. I'll start an extraction going tonight and then I can run the analysis during lunch tomorrow. I'll call you when I get something."

As he was leaving, Castle's phone announced an email from his editor, reminding him that she had yet to receive his revisions of his revisions. He sighed. He hadn't touched his laptop since he took the twins to Dr. Bauer. He hadn't really wanted to. But Curtis and Strom was good to him, and generally more patient than Gina and Black Pawn had been. He needed to fulfill his commitment. He hailed a cab.

* * *

The twins were on blankets, which Castle noted were cotton, on the floor. Lily danced around them singing the newest song she'd learned from Kirk at Lati's Trails. Kate sat nearby with her laptop on her thighs. Castle kissed her temple. "Looks like things are lively here."

"That's one word for it," Kate replied. "I've been checking out whistle blower cases. It's not encouraging, Castle. They usually don't end well. The law is supposed to be protective, but to say the least, the companies involved are not keen on cooperation. They'll do just about anything to block disclosure."

"Sounds like you're solidifying your theory about Batchit," Castle observed. "If you're not being too badly menaced by the horde. I need to finish my work on Sammy. Then maybe we can figure out dinner."

"We don't have to figure it out, Castle. My dad called. He and Martha are back in the city. They want to come up to see the kids tonight and they're bringing dinner."

Castle put a palm to his forehead. "I hope my mother isn't cooking it."

Kate laid a comforting hand on his arm. "Don't worry. They're stopping at Zorba's on the way up. Apparently they've been craving lamb and they've had a hard time finding it in the cities where Martha's been performing. So they're bringing the whole Greek dinner, including baklava."

"Oh wow!" Castle exclaimed. "Let's hear it for visits from the grandparents. We'll probably have to get the honey out of Lily's hair, but it'll be worth it. When are they supposed to get here?"

"My dad said six, so they'll have some time with Lily and the rug rats. That should give you at least a couple of hours to work before they get here, Babe."

"If I don't short out my keyboard by drooling all over it thinking about the baklava, I should be fine," Castle responded. "have I told you that I love you?"

"Not since this morning and that was more showing than telling, at least until Lily knocked on our door."

Castle crooked a smile. "At least she knocked. I never was able to teach mother to do that. Well maybe after our visitors leave tonight, we can pick up where we left off."

"That sounds terrific Castle, but if we're going to do that, you'd better stop procrastinating and start pounding the keys. Then we can worry about other forms of pounding later."

Castle's smile widened to a grin. "Ooh saucy! I'm going, but I'm going to hold you to that."

"You better, Castle," Kate called as he strode away.

Castle finished crafting the last paragraph, swiped a hand over his eyes, and closed his laptop. The doorbell rang. He pulled his phone out his pocket to gaze at Martha and Jim on the feed from the camera at the front door, bearing two large bags. Exhaling deeply, he leaned back in his chair and pushed away from his desk. "Let the festivities begin."


	129. Chapter 129

Life Goes On

Chapter 129

"And so the actor who was playing the body actually fell asleep and the scene shifters had to wake him up." Martha recounted. "Then to make things worse, when I finished my curtain calls - six of them - I found Jim asleep in my dressing room."

"I took a red eye the night before so I could be there for her opening in Cleveland," Jim explained. "Then there were the pierogies."

"Ah yes," Martha interjected. "The food in that city is marvelous. I think most of the cast gained a few pounds. I had to double up on my yoga to keep from joining them."

"Of course, no pastry should corrupt the trim figure of my glamorous mother," Castle put in.

"Looks like we missed some things here," Jim remarked. "The twins are sitting up and Lily's in pre-school. Anything new for Fill in the Cracks? You seem to have thoroughly toppled Drumpf."

"We're working on something to help out a friend," Kate replied.

"Murder, mayhem, the usual," Castle quipped.

"No more guns aimed at you, either one of you, I hope," Martha remarked. "You know Richard, you really should give writing plays another try. Now that you're respectable as an author, you might even be produced."

"Mother, It's so nice to know that you finally think I'm respectable, but I'm already working on a book based on the whole Drumpf affair. However, I'll give it some thought," Castle assured her. "What are your plans, another starring role treading the boards?"

"When I find one worthy of my talent," Martha responded too quickly, "but I thought I might revitalize my school with the master teacher's presence. I've had other actors teaching my classes, but I think the Martha Rodgers spark is needed."

"Well I'm sure you'll fan the excitement to a blaze." Castle declared.

"Babe," Kate asked when the Castles were finally able to turn in for the night, "did you get the idea that you mother is finding her next role hard to come by? Her hint that you should write a role for her was not exactly subtle."

"More like it was in neon lights. I can understand how she feels. There aren't that many roles for grand dames. At least she has her school to keep her busy."

"It didn't sound like that was doing all that well either," Kate observed. "Doesn't she have a balloon payment coming from that loan she took out to cover the repairs she had to make after all that water damage from King Lear? I got the impression she wouldn't have gotten the loan at all if the two of you and the bank manager hadn't all almost been blown up together."

"Kate, Mother doesn't know it, but after that all came down, I called Mr. Davenport and told him I'd co-sign the loan. If mother gets into trouble, I'll take care of it, but she'll pull it out. She always does, although it wouldn't hurt to stage a celebrity studded fundraiser for Fill the Cracks, at her acting studio. A little boost from Page Six might be just what the doctor ordered."

"If that doctor is Richard Castle, but yeah, it sounds like a good idea, Babe."

Castle worked his hand beneath the satiny waistband of her pajamas. "I can think of another good idea."

Kate pressed against him and purred. "What a coincidence! So can I."

* * *

Castle was still a little sleepy, but considered it entirely worthwhile, the next afternoon when his cell phone erupted with, "Who Are You."

"Sergei, did you find some exotic allergen?" Castle inquired.

"Not so exotic, Rick. I found a couple of things. One is that a cheap dye called Allura red, or red dye #2, was used on the book. It's used mostly in food. It's banned for edibles in Europe but still legal here. It doesn't bind well to fabric fibers well, so it rubs off easily. Reese might have ingested a trace. But I think the real culprit is formaldehyde. There was quite a bit of it present. It's used a lot in processing, so it might have been a contaminant in the fabric, the dye, or both. That's most likely what caused Reese's reaction. Many people are sensitive to it and it's in all kinds of things like rugs and wallboard. It can be a sign of cheap manufacturing processes. Since this is Reese's first episode, it's unlikely it's a problem at the Castle castle, but it is something to be aware of."

"Thanks Sergei. I really appreciate your help and I will keep what you said in mind. I haven't heard from Alexis. How are things going at Batchit?"

"She called me at lunch, no real news yet, just that Batchit is working on a pharmaceutical project for Tiva, an Israeli company," Sergei relayed.

"Hmm," Castle considered, "doesn't sound much like a terrorist thing. But - ooh! Sergei, can there be contaminants in pharmaceuticals?"

"They have to work very hard to avoid them. What are you thinking, Rick?"

Castle ran his palm over his jawline. "I'm not sure yet. I need to do some research. Can I call you if I have technical questions?"

"Of course, Rick. I'll be grateful for anything your writer's mind can do to speed this investigation along. I'd just as soon have my wife out of there as soon as possible."

"Believe me I understand. I'll let you and Alexis know if I come up with anything."

* * *

While other employees were on a coffee break, keeping one eye on the clock, Alexis quickly surveyed the readout from a GC-MS in the lab. Breaks were only ten minutes long and she didn't have much time. It wasn't her project, but it was what the techs who had been killed had been working on. It looked noisy. She had seen enough analytical equipment to know that background readings were far from unusual. There was always a constant effort being made to minimize them. The maintenance log for the instrument was in a plastic sleeve attached to the housing. She pulled it out for a look. The high background had been noted and a thorough cleaning regimen had been implemented to decrease it. It shouldn't have looked the way it did. She checked the clock. Only a minute left, not enough time to get into the memory for other scans. She made sure the log was exactly as she had found it and returned to her station. She was greeted by Carl, a returning member of the team. "Don't need caffeine to set your mind in motion, Alexis?"

"I'd love some," Alexis confessed, "but I'm trying a new diet: no caffeine, no sugar."

"Sounds like no fun," Carl opined.

"You've got that right," Alexis admitted. "It also gives me one hell of a headache. But that's supposed to pass in a few days, and if I get through it I'll be healthier and lose weight."

"Well good luck with that. There's a king sized bottle of aspirin in the first aid kit if you need it. When the monthly survey group comes through, most of us do. Those guys never get off your ass."

"About what?" Alexis asked.

Carl turned his eyes to the ceiling and shook his head. "Mostly purity. Every little peak has to be accounted for."

"Who's on it?" Alexis inquired.

"It rotates. There's always a group supervisor, I don't know who else will be on it now. Those two guys who died were supposed to be on it this round."

Alexis fingered the cell phone in her pocket. Carl had given her the clue she needed. She'd have to contact Kate or her dad as soon as she could.


	130. Chapter 130

Life Goes On

Chapter 130

Castle examined an online prospectus from Tiva Pharmaceuticals. He was amazed that a company he'd never heard of before could be so huge. They developed no new drugs at all, making their profits just by waiting for previously developed ones to go off patent. But they had managed to snag a huge portion of the market in generics. A new generic had to be what Edelstein and Milton, the techs who were killed, were working on. Castle decided to research generics further. He was surprised and troubled to discover that they were not required to go through drug trials, merely to prove themselves to be chemically equivalent to the original drug.

What Alexis had told him and Kate, was jibing with what he'd learned from Sergei. A story began to form in his mind. Batchit had developed a process for Tiva to produce a generic drug, but the process was flawed. It produced impurities, perhaps dangerous ones. Batchit is on the financial edge. They need to continue their relationship with Tiva to survive. So they enlist an employee to cover up the flaws revealed in their test results until they can find a solution to the problem. But the cover-up isn't going to work with Edelstein and Milton on a survey team. They were straight shooters and would blow the whistle. So an accident is arranged and their deaths are blamed on a hapless safety inspector. Castle couldn't fit in any terrorists, but it still made a great story. He hurried to tell Kate.

"It is a great story, Castle," Kate agreed. "But how can we prove it?"

"I've been thinking about that," Castle replied. "There might be a way, but Lanie is going to have to stick her neck out a bit."

"Castle, I think she'd do anything for Alan."

"Fine," Castle agreed. "Edelstein and Milton were both working on this drug project, right? There must have been some trace of the drug on or in their bodies somewhere. Lanie needs to find it and tell the N.Y.P.D. it's relevant to their deaths. Then we need a search warrant for the test records on the project. Alexis can steer that in the right direction. We find who would have to be involved in the cover-up. That person will either be the murderer or know who is. Espo can grab them and squeeze them."

"Whoa Castle! That's some string of events. We need to talk to Lanie first and see if she can even do what you're proposing," Kate cautioned.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Castle wondered. "Let's call her."

* * *

Martha paused on the threshold to her school. She'd supervised by phone, but she hadn't been there in months. She drew a cleansing breath, let it out slowly, and pulled open the door. The place was quiet, too quiet. When she had been there, students were everywhere, rehearsing for scenes using imaginary props or trying to figure out where to get real ones. Now it seemed deserted. She made her way to the small theater that occupied much of the space. She could hear the resonating tones of Frank Langly. She and Frank had come up in the theater together. As a young man he had been handsome, often described as having the face of angel. Adding that to the voice, leading man roles were his for the taking. But as his thirties had fallen behind him, when people put it politely, he'd filled out. He became famous for playing heavies, quite literally. He'd been nominated for several Tonys for his villainous ways, but longed for the adoration heaped on heroes. As he consoled himself with a bottle, he had been reduced to bit parts and walk ons. Finally, when his rent was paid only by the residuals of a voice over from a kitty litter commercial, he decided he'd have to get his life in order. Jim Beckett was his sponsor. When he'd earned his six month chip, Martha hired Frank for a job at her school. He was a good teacher, possibly a great one, but his reputation was shot, and students weren't flocking to learn at his feet. There were only six students with him, practicing a scene from _Much Ado About Nothing_.

Frank turned as he heard Martha's footsteps, but didn't interrupt the scene, an interrogation by Dogberry in which he quite rightfully classified himself as an ass. Martha applauded as the scene came to a close."Bravo my darlings! You eclipse many a player I worked with doing Shakespeare in the park."

"Very good," Frank agreed, "although those of you who are listening to Dogberry's speech, remember that he is using malaprops. You should be visually suppressing reactions to his cluelessness. It you're not sure where his mistakes occur, review the annotated text. Go prepare and we'll run it again in twenty minutes."

"You're doing a great job, Frank," Martha commented when the students had left the stage.

"I just wish there were more of it, Martha." Frank admitted. "This is the biggest scene we've been able to do. The others have just involved two or three students. We only have twenty in the master class. That's barely going to keep the lights on."

Martha made a mental inventory of her funds. She'd done well with the run of her play on Broadway and on tour, but she couldn't prop the school up forever, especially with her debt coming due. Still, she'd seen something behind Richard's eyes during the family dinner. There was an idea knocking around in that imaginative brain. It wouldn't be long before she found out what it was.

* * *

Lanie stared at the results of her analysis on the two bodies. The drug was present, but in two forms. One was active and therapeutic. The other was not only inactive, in the quantity a patient would need to consume, it would be toxic. She hoped she had enough for a judge. It would have to be a very friendly judge, and Markway was away on a vacation touring the country's best golf courses. Who the hell else could she ask? Then she remembered. Judge Carson had had planned his daughter's wedding for the rarefied atmosphere of the clubhouse at the Spinnaker Country Club. The club was an exclusive venue with no members who cleared less than five million a year. Carson didn't qualify, but his future in-laws had. They confidently insisted everything on the site would be of the highest quality. It might have been, were it not for a month of heavy rain which caused the ground to subside.

Alan had been called upon to inspect the club and many other facilities for safety after the deluge. He discovered that the supporting structure of the clubhouse had been compromised, and closed it down a week before the wedding was scheduled to take place. Carson had been furious and his in-laws even more so, threatening to have Alan fired. On the day that had been slated for the wedding, the walls of the clubhouse collapsed and the roof fell in. Had Alan not closed down the building, the wedding could have been a massive tragedy. Understandably, Carson was obscenely grateful that Alan hadn't allowed power and influence to affect his job. If he knew Alan had been right then, he just might believe it now. Lanie knew Alan wouldn't make the phone call, but there was absolutely nothing to stop her from making it herself. Unable to approach the judge directly, she called Esposito and asked him to tender the request.


	131. Chapter 131

Life Goes On

Chapter 131

In the conference room at the morgue, Lanie, Alexis, and Sergei searched through the boxes of analytical data Batchit had dumped on the N.Y.P.D. in response to the search warrant signed by Judge Carson. "They're trying to bury the result," Alexis complained, sucking on a paper cut. "Most of this is useless!"

"We're looking for compounds that are mirror images of each other, but otherwise identical," Sergei reiterated. "We don't have to do more than glance at any report. There are only a few ways to analyze those compounds or eliminate the toxic ones. Just look for chromatography, or reactions with other compounds that are also directional. You can ignore the rest of this flood of paper."

Even following his advice, the search was difficult. The relevant reports had been carefully and deliberately combined with others. Throats grew dry and hands even drier. "I have something here," Lanie exclaimed after several hours. "These are the flow sheets for the separation reactions and the analysis afterward." She handed them to Sergei. "Here. Do you see what I see? Is this what we're looking for?"

"These are the ones!" he announced. "The separation was incomplete. Worse than that, there is bonding between the two forms, making them even harder to separate. This shows a mixture similar to the traces you found on the bodies."

Alexis stood to look over his shoulder. "Let me see." She pointed. "I recognize this name. She's one of the group leaders that would be assigned to a survey team. She had to have known what Edelstein and Milton would find."

"Would she have known how to manipulate the nitrogen system?" Lanie asked.

"I don't know how she couldn't" Alexis offered. "It only took me about five minutes to figure it out and she's been at Batchit for years. Detective Esposito needs to bring her in."

Lanie pulled out her phone. "Calling him now."

* * *

Mariah Linchly, PhD. squirmed uncomfortably in her seat in interrogation, under the hard gaze of Javier Esposito. "Dr. Linchly, he began, "you're supposed to head up a survey team Edelstein and Milton were assigned to before their deaths."

"Yes," Mariah acknowledged. "I don't understand why that would be relevant to a police investigation. Those two men died as a result on an unfortunate accident due to the negligence of a city inspector."

"Well that's just it, Dr. Linchly. Our medical examiner has found evidence that has caused her to declare this a homicide. The nitrogen system wasn't faulty, it had been deliberately tampered with. Someone killed them. And we believe they were killed because they were supposed to be on that survey team."

"That's ridiculous!" Mariah insisted, twisting her tightly laced fingers. "If someone wanted to kill that survey team, why would I be alive?"

"See now, that's the question I was going to ask you," Esposito replied. "But I think we both know the answer." Esposito opened a folder. "This is your personnel record. You have black marks against you, missed Mondays leading to suspicions that you were getting blasted on weekends. Worse, there are also notations of serious screw ups in judgment. Those errors resulted in a recommendation against further promotion for you at Batchit. In fact, you were on your final disciplinary action. If you made one more mistake, you would have been out on your butt. But now, you're slated to move up to director at the next opening. The really interesting part is that there are several group leaders more qualified to hold that position than you are. I'll tell you what I think. I think you were stuck. The company is on the verge of going down the tubes. You would be the first to go. With your record, you wouldn't have been hired by anyone else. So someone asked you to do the company a favor. You hide test results that would have taken Batchit down and you move up instead of out. You kill Edelstein and Milton and put in guys you can control, so no one finds out how messed up things are at Batchit.

"I didn't kill anyone!" Mariah protested. "And I want a lawyer."

"Yeah, you can have a lawyer," Esposito advised, "but he's just going to tell you to make a deal and roll on whoever is behind all this. You tell me what you know now, I put in a good word with the D.A. and you get a better deal. Otherwise, who knows? How you roll the dice is up to you."

Mariah swallowed. "I want a lawyer, and I need to go to the restroom."

* * *

The atmosphere at the table at Q3 was lively, as the Castles, Kasparovs, Espositos, Lanie, and Alan dug into a huge platter of appetizers. "So the V.P. Of Research and Development at Batchit, Murphy Michaels, was set to retire and had his entire 401K in Batchit stock. If the truth had come out, he would have been left with nothing," Esposito recounted.

"My business manager always stresses the importance of diversification," Castle noted, receiving a dark look from Javier for interrupting his account. Castle pressed his lips together.

Michaels worked his way up at Batchit," Esposito continued. "He knew every system. He rigged things to kill Edelstein and Milton and he arranged for Mariah Linchly to cover up the bad test results. Linchly knew all about it and her lawyer advised her to spill everything she knew to get a deal. Even so, as an accomplice to murder, she's still looking at jail time, I might have been able to get her less of it, but that was just one more screw up for her."

And Tiva is shopping around for a new partner" Alexis added. "They want nothing to do with anything that would raise eyebrows at the FDA. I'm out of Batchit. I didn't even have to quit. As soon as it was obvious that the company was crashing, they laid off any new hires. There will probably be a lot more layoffs to follow. I feel sorry for some of the guys I worked with. They're good people."

"Considering the shortage of experienced chemistry talent, they shouldn't have too much trouble finding new jobs," Sergei suggested.

"I hope so," Alexis responded.

"Hey Debbie Downer, this is a celebration," Lanie interjected. "Alan's suspension has been lifted."

Castle raised a glass. "To a city that's safer with Alan in it."

Alan flushed. "Um thank you. Uh, I have something else I need to say, uh - do." Alan pushed back his chair and rose, before immediately dropping to one knee. He took Lanie's hand. "Lanie Parish, you are the most amazing woman I have ever known, You are bright and beautiful and funny. You make me feel what I've never felt for any woman. You stood by me and believed in me. Now I'm asking you to stand by me for a lifetime." Alan fumbled in his pocket and brought out a ring. "Lanie, will you marry me?"

Lanie's mouth fell open in shock. She stared at Alan and she stared at the ring. "You crazy man! You crazy adorable man! Yes, I will marry you!"

Alan slipped the ring on Lanie's finger and Castle stood, starting loud applause."

"To Lanie and Alan," Esposito declared.

All the glasses at the table clinked.


	132. Chapter 132

Life Goes On

Chapter 132

"You finished your play, Castle?" Kate asked as she investigated the triumphant whoop that came from his office.

Castle danced in his chair. "And it's good, Kate! I wasn't sure changing Powell to a female character would work, but it does. Mother will be a master thief, searching for one last ingenious score to retire on. She'll love it!"

"And you're going to try to take it to Broadway?"

"Oh, better. I figure Mother can put it on at her school to a small, select, and very generous audience, as a benefit for Fill the Cracks. At the very least she'll get a ton of publicity for herself and the school. If we're really lucky, someone will decide to produce it and Mother will be back on the Great White Way. Either way, it should be the boost she needs to her business and her ego." Castle ran a gaze up and down his wife's trim body. "You look ready to go out. What's going on?"

"Lanie called. Her dressmaker had a cancellation and has an opening for fittings in an hour. The boys are fed, so you'll be okay here, won't you?"

"Ah, the matron of honor rushes off to fulfill her duties. I'll be fine Kate. I thought I'd call Mother and see when she'll have a chance to look at the play."

"Alright, good. Then I'll see you later, Castle."

* * *

Kate gazed doubtfully at her dress. The garnet shade wasn't obnoxious. She was glad Lanie had chosen a jewel tone over a pastel. Kate just didn't have the personality for pastels. But the bust would definitely need some letting out and the waist some taking in.

"Don't just stare at it, girl, put it on!" Lanie urged. Kate retreated to the dressing room and made sure her nursing pads were firmly in place. The last thing the dress needed was milk blooms. The seamstress was quick and efficient, marking the appropriate alterations. Kate consulted her watch. She actually had time to go to a nearby cafe with Lanie, before she'd have to get back to Fieldston.

The two ladies settled into a booth and ordered snacks. Kate disguised the limpness of a french fry with ketchup. "So how is Alan doing with all the wedding planning?"

"You know Alan," Lanie replied. "He examined every inch of every potential venue for problems. I thought we'd never find one that wouldn't make him nervous. Who would have thought he'd actually end up being happy with the Old Haunt? Castle has done a great job keeping the place up."

"We don't get down there much, but he does love it. I think when the twins are older, he'll want to spend more time there to write. For some reason he finds the smell of beer and peanuts inspiring. We're lucky that Alexis and Sergei's sisters are willing to help with the kids, but he and I still tag team a lot to keep them covered."

Lanie sniffed appreciatively as she broke open a chocolate chip muffin. "You know, when I first met Castle, he was the last person I would have pegged for father of the year. Even when I realized what a great kid Alexis was, I thought it happened despite him. It took me a long time to realize just how dedicated a father he is."

"I know," Kate agreed. "I saw it a lot sooner, when Alexis showed up at the precinct after Hayley Blue was murdered. And then when he was so protective of Hayley's sister Sky, I began to see how much of that selfish exterior was a put on."

"Coulda fooled me. It took you what, four years to sleep with him and another one to admit you loved him? We both wasted a lot of time Kate. You were dancing around Castle because you couldn't accept that you two belonged together while Javi and I kept trying to pretend that we did. Well I'm not wasting anymore. Alan is the man I want and I'm not letting him get away."

Kate smiled. "I'm sure he doesn't want to Lanie." Kate caught sight of an old style clock on the wall. "Ooh, I really do have to get back. I'll call you about the rest of the arrangements."

* * *

On the couch, with Lily doing a puzzle at her feet, Martha studied the play Richard had handed to her. Given her old fantasies about the debonair thief, it was hard to picture Powell as a woman, but her son had made it work. Perkins Malone, despite her age, was still a master of her trade. She could slip in and out of almost anywhere unnoticed. But when she wanted to be noticed, she commanded the room. Realizing that she could not remain at the top of her game forever, she was training an apprentice, Sheila Foster. Martha already knew which one of her students she would cast. Perkins had a love interest as well, a man twenty years younger. Martha really liked that detail, and she had an actor in mind for that role as well. There was even one of Perkins' old associates who had fallen on tough times. He could be perfectly portrayed by Frank Langley.

Martha found Richard's stage directions wanting, but that was nothing a good director couldn't fix. The intimacy of the play would shine in her little theater, but would also work on a bigger stage. She merely had to tell her son that she liked his opus, without expanding the size of his head too much. Keeping Richard grounded was a thankless task, but Martha had always seen it as her calling.

Lily pulled at Martha's skirt. "Gramma finish reading?"

"Indeed I have," Martha declared.

"Gramma listen to Lily play?"

"Of course," Martha agreed.

Lily led her grandmother into her room where a keyboard had been set up on a low rack, so that preschooler could play it easily. "Jake and Reese sleeping," Lily cautioned, handing Martha a set of wireless headphones, before putting on another pair herself. Martha didn't recognize the piece that Lily played, but enjoyed it.

"What is that song, darling?" she inquired.

"Lily's song," The girl explained.

"You wrote it?" Martha inquired.

"Songs for Mama, Daddy, Jake and Reese too. Kirk helped with notes together in song." Lily demonstrated a chord. "See?" Then she played the melody. "Lily make this on piano. Kirk and Daddy put in computers for circles and sticks on lines."

Martha nodded. "Yes, the computer writes out the music for you. Keep on playing dear. I'm going to go talk to your Daddy."

Castle looked up from his desk. "Hello Mother. Does the play meet with your approval?"

"Yes, yes," Martha answered hurriedly. "It'll need a little reworking here and there, however a true actor can make the most of any part. But Richard, Lily has just been playing her music for me. Are your aware the family talent has risen to new heights? My granddaughter is a prodigy."

"Mother, I believe I told you that some time ago."

Martha waved a hand dismissively. "All parents think their children are prodigies. However, I have a discerning ear trained by a lifetime in the theater. She truly has talent."

"I'm aware of that, Mother. So is Kate. We are nurturing her talent. You just haven't been around lately to see it. Kirk teaches her at school and she gets extra time with him here as well. And I love taking credit for something in which, other than an ecstatic night with my wife, I played no part. But we were talking about something in which I have played the major part. Will you be playing the role of Perkins Malone?"

"Richard, you weren't listening. Of course I will. And I'll find a director who can stage it properly. You might take a few notes," Martha suggested.

Castle sighed. "Yes Mother, whatever will bring your performance to life."


	133. Chapter 133

Life Goes On

Chapter 133

Though neither was observant, Lanie and Alan came from very different religious backgrounds. Thus they had decided to leave religion out of the wedding entirely. Judge Carson had agreed to perform the ceremony, but to add some air of gravitas, he wore his robe. While Kate stood up for Lanie, Alan had asked a longtime friend and fellow inspector, Gregory MacDougal, to be his best man. Alan wore a suit, but Gregory wore a kilt, complete with a plaid across his body, and a dirk on his leg. Castle had breathed a sigh of relief that the man had not come equipped with bagpipes.

The piano player stroked the keys softly while Walter Parish led his daughter up an improvised, flower festooned aisle, flanked by folding chairs. Melinda Parish was in the front row, a damp handkerchief clasped in her fist.

Carson began after Lanie had reached the squares of portable dance floor that were standing in for an altar. "Though a joyous affair, a marriage is a serious and solemn event. These two people will be pledging their futures to each other, something not to be done lightly or carelessly. In consideration of the depth of the promises they will be making to each other, Lanie and Alan have written their own vows. Alan I would ask you to begin now."

Alan threw back his shoulders, looking into the eyes of his bride. "Lanie, you are the most incredible woman I have ever met. I look at you and I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else. I promise to be with you, to love you, and stand by you, as you have stood by me. Whatever may happen in our life ahead, I know now, that we can handle it, as long as we handle it together."

Carson nodded to Lanie. "Alan, I never thought I'd meet anyone like you. You have no weapon except your eyes and your mind, yet you protect the citizens of this city faithfully. You are funny and sweet and kind. I want nothing more in a man than I see in you. I promise to love you and be at your side, whatever the future may be."

"Do you have rings?" Carson asked.

MacDougal handed a gold band to Alan, and Kate handed a thinner but matching one to Lanie. The couple slipped them on each other's fingers.

By the power vested in me by the state and city of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife," Carson announced. "You may now... oh, you're already doing it."

The guests rose and applauded as the newly joined couple kissed. Lanie and Alan greeted their guests as the piano played "Our Love Is Here To Stay."

The Castles went down to check on the twins and Lily in the makeshift nursery that had been set up in the basement office. Three caretakers had been hired for the day, on Lagi's recommendations, to take care of any children the guests either cared to, or needed, to bring. Aside from the Castle children, the horde included Sarah Grace and Nicholas and well as offspring of Alan's family, and Lanie's colleagues at the morgue. There were few squabbles going on, but things were quieter than Rick and Kate had expected. Relieved, the couple returned to the party.

Castle had brought in caterers to supplement the staff of the Old Haunt. Tables, including a large one for the wedding party, surrounded a dance floor. The bar had been transformed into a buffet offering finger friendly food. Greg MacDougal rose from his seat, tapping on a champagne glass. "A toast to the bride and groom. I have known Alan ever since he helped me struggle through my civil engineering degree. He has been a stalwart friend for twenty years. He stood up for me at my own marriage to my dear Cara, but as the years passed, I despaired that I would be able to do the same for him. The universe took its time, but it chose well in sending Lanie Parish. They are the halves that make the perfect whole, and I hope you will all join me in the celebration of that joyous union. To Alan and Lanie!"

"To Alan and Lanie," the crowd repeated.

Greg nodded to the piano player and as Lanie led Alan to the dance floor, "It's a Wonderful World" floated through the room.

Alan would never be described as a great dancer, but he managed to keep from scuffing Lanie's white pumps. As the song changed to a lively version of Saint Thomas, Greg led Cara to the floor, followed quickly by Kate and Rick, as well as Walter and Melinda Parish. Many of the rest of the guests, including Alexis and Sergei, Kevin and Jenny Ryan, and Javier and Maria Esposito, soon joined them. Though the ceremony had started at four in the afternoon, the dancing stretched into the evening, well after the bride and groom had departed for their honeymoon.

* * *

After a return to Fieldston, Lily and the twins were settled in their rooms for the night and Castle and Kate stretched out on their own bed, to rest weary feet. Kate snuggled into Rick's chest. "You know, I'm a little jealous of Lanie and Alan."

"Why?" Castle asked. "They certainly went through enough hell to get to today."

"Of course they did," Kate agreed. "I meant that they got to leave on a honeymoon. We spent the time after we were married solving a murder. Then we were supposed to go off to an island when we had a chance, but we never had a chance. We were always in the middle of a case, running for our lives, or trying to heal from bullet wounds. We never had that one magic time together as husband and wife with nothing to think about but each other."

Castle drew her closer. "That's true, Kate. But what do you want to do about it? We have children. Even if you gave no thought to Fill the Cracks, and I put writing completely out of my mind, Lily and the boys would still be a priority. They'll never leave our consciousness. That's what parenthood is. It never stops. I still worry about Alexis too."

"I know you do, Castle. It's one of the things I love about you."

"And listen, I've had two honeymoons. Meredith and I had a short one before she needed to be on stage again and Gina and I had a world tour. Obviously, neither one of those made for a great marriage. We were together by locale, but it had nothing to do with actually being together. Kate, you and I are a part of each other. We're in each other's hearts, each other's minds. We think the same thoughts. That's more important than any trip, no matter how exciting or extravagant. But I'll make a deal with you. When the twins are old enough that we can leave them and Lily with someone we trust, maybe Alexis and Sergei, without one or the other of us constantly feeling that we should be calling home to check on them, we'll take a honeymoon. And it will be better than for newlyweds, because we already know how to make each other happy." Castle reached downward to her most responsive spot. "We know where everything is."

Kate gasped at the touch of his fingers and she cupped his expanding heat in her palm. "Yeah Castle, I guess we do."


	134. Chapter 134

Life Goes On

Chapter 134

Checking his phone, Castle was surprised that the person ringing his doorbell was Jim Beckett. He opened the door apologetically. "Kate isn't here. She has a class this morning and then she said she was going to check on things at the Fill the Cracks Center. And Lily's in school."

"That's fine," Jim assured his son-in-law. "I came to see the boys and I wanted to talk to you."

"Why, what's up?" Castle asked.

"It's your mother," Jim confessed. "She won't stop saying 'This is too easy.'"

Castle nodded. "I understand, but that's normal - for mother. It's the first line of the play I wrote for her. It's her first forty-eight. She won't say anything but that line for forty-eight hours before her opening. You must have heard her do this before."

"I have," Jim confirmed. "But that's not all of it. She said she'd be fasting for clarity, but she was looking at the muffin I had with my coffee this morning like a mountain lion about to pounce. She changed her scarf six times before going out today and then she didn't even wear one. I've never seen her this jittery before."

"That is saying something," Castle agreed. "But she has a lot riding on this. It's not just another opening, it's the future of her school, her legacy. Plus, since I wrote the play, if people think it's terrible, she'll take that as a reflection on her too. That's a triple dose of nerves, but she's survived a lot worse. Mother's a very strong woman."

Jim sighed. "You're right, she is. It just just drives me crazy because I can't seem to do anything for her."

"This might cheer you up. I was hearing some bells and whistles from the crib toys before I answered the door," Castle related. "Both of the twins should be up, but they're not to the complaining stage yet. You want to see them?"

"Please."

Symphonic sounds emanated from the nursery and baby monitors as as Jake hit brightly colored buttons with his feet. Reese sat up, spinning a rattling drum. Castle found both boys not just busy, but wet, with Reese the more soaked of the two. He changed his wetter son, handed him to his grandfather, then changed Jake, who kicked his bare feet with gusto, looking for another way to produce noise. Reese sneezed, causing Castle to turn around sharply. "Jim, did you use detergent or fabric softener with color or fragrance in it, on the shirt you're wearing?"

"Oh damn Rick! I forgot. While we were on the road Martha and I mostly sent the clothes out, so I didn't worry about it." Jim hurriedly placed Reese back in his crib.

Castle finished fastening Jake's diaper and put him on the pad for his kick and play piano, in a play enclosure. "It should be all right. I don't think Reese was in contact with it long enough to break out. It'll be a little big, but I can lend you one of mine while you're here."

Jim Beckett changed into the shirt Castle had handed him from his closet, and began rolling up the sleeves. It was too long to tuck into his pants, a sloppiness that left him slightly uncomfortable, but he could certainly put up with it for the good of his grandsons. "You and Katie do have more than your share of complications, don't you?" he commented.

Castle smiled wryly and shrugged. "This from someone married to Martha Rodgers." Castle reached for his wallet and pulled out a card. "I had these printed up for any potential caretakers, reminders about allergens. I have instruction sheets too. Dr. Lauer says there's a good chance the boys will grow out of their sensitivities, or if they don't, there may be some interventions when they're older. In the meantime, Kate and I have adapted. Now that we're used to it, it isn't hard."

"Still, I admire the way you manage. Johanna and I had enough challenges raising Katie, and Lily is a lot like her. They both have the same stubborn streak. I can't imagine adding the twins on top of that."

Castle grinned. "If Lily starts showing an interest in Harleys, I may come to you for advice. It's unlikely that the boys will think of doing anything worse than I did when I was growing up."

Jim returned the smile. "From the tales Martha's told me, that may be true."

* * *

A red carpet had been set up outside the Martha Rodgers School of Acting to accommodate the luminaries arriving for the Fill the Cracks benefit. Playbills had been printed with the cover featuring both the star and the playwright. If Martha was still nervous, she never revealed it to the paparazzi, sweeping down the walkway at her diva best. On Castle's arm, Kate tried to get through the process as quickly as she could. Cameras also snapped at both Broadway stars and political figures, who were offered drinks and canapes before being guided to their seats by volunteers in glowing neck rings.

As the newly appointed executive director of Fill the Cracks, Maria Esposito took the stage to welcome the foundation's supporters. She had a long list of people to thank, ending with Richard Castle and Martha Rodgers. Finally the performance got underway. Martha portrayed Perkins Malone with panache and Frank Langley riveted the audience with his portrayal of a dissipated but once masterful thief. At the end of the play, the audience rose in a standing ovation and the cast presented Martha with two dozen roses.

Afterward, some of the bigger donors had a VIP supper with the cast and the playwright at Sardi's. Rick and Kate dragged back to Fieldston at one A.M., later than they had intended. Tatiana was dozing in a rocker in the nursery. She tiptoed out to join the Castles. "Lily was feeling a little left out of the festivities," she reported. "She wanted to see Daddy's play for Gramma. I told her there would be a video. There will be, won't there?"

"Oh yes," Castle assured her. "That's one of the perks for donors, a private keycode to the download. We'll also be distributing codes to critics. Alexis is going to edit some language out of a copy before Lily sees it though. There are some words she really doesn't need to learn yet."

"Yes, Alexis is a whiz with a computer. She's really helped me out a few times," Tatiania confided."

"We're really grateful you could help us out tonight," Castle said. "It's late, way later than we should have kept you. You could crash in the guest room until morning - well later in the morning. Spare toothbrush, robe, all the amenities are up there. And I'll be making Sunday waffles for breakfast."

"I can lend you something to sleep in and clothes for the morning," Kate added.

"You've sold me," Tatiana agreed.

When Tatiana was settled, Kate and Rick finally made it to bed. "You know," Castle commented, drawing Kate against him to spoon, "I lent your father a shirt yesterday and you just lent clothes to, uh, my daughter's sister-in-law. Is there a term for that relationship?"

"I don't know, Castle," Kate replied sleepily snuggling back into the warmth of the curve of his body.

"Maybe we should put a lending closet up in the guest room, fashionable but hypo-allergenic."

"Castle, that sounds like an ad for a clothing line."

"Yeah," Castle replied thoughtfully, "it does at that."


	135. Chapter 135

Life Goes On

Chapter 135

"Was that Paula on the phone?" Kate asked as Castle refilled his coffee mug.

"Uh huh," Castle replied, absently stirring his brew. "They want to produce _Perkins_ on Broadway."

"That is not the face of someone who is having a play produced," Kate observed. "What's wrong, Babe?"

"There's a catch," Castle explained. "I have to write a companion book and it has to be timed to come out at the opening. That only gives me a few weeks to get it to the publisher, and even then it will be tight. I'm still working on my novel based on the whole Bernstein/Drumpf thing. There are so many individual stories of his victims, it's turning into a magnum opus. Then there's my other project. Jenny just found me a designer, Dr. Lauer's on board, and we're about to get the whole thing off the ground. The timing sucks, but I can't say no or try to put it off, without breaking Mother's heart."

"Castle, how can I help? I could drop my class. Then I could spell you more with the kids." Kate proposed.

"Kate, if you want to drop your class for your own sake, that's fine. But don't do it for me. You've put yourself behind on your degree for this family enough." Castle declared.

"Then how about hiring some help?" Kate suggested "The people Lagi recommended for the childcare at Lanie's wedding were great. We could try one of them."

Castle crossed his arms as his eyes darkened. "No nannies! Enrichment like Lily's had, later, but no nannies."

"What about family?" Kate offered. "When Tatiana was here she mentioned that Svetlana is, to put it diplomatically, between jobs. And with all the Kasparovs, she's had enough experience with kids. She's done fine with the boys before."

"Yeah, I understand the job situation. There isn't that much call for a degree in Russian literature," Castle mused. "but she was supposed to be thinking about graduate school."

"Until then," Kate proposed. "Or at least until you get the _Perkins_ book written. Come on Babe, it will be good for all of us."

Castle pressed his lips upwards and blew a deep breath through his nose. "You're right. Of course you're right. I'll give her a call."

* * *

The table at the Inno-Babies Design Studio was huge, with space for sketches to be laid along its length, but still allowing ample room for the participants in the planning session. The chief designer, Inga Gonzalez, sat at the head, her blond hair startling against her burnt umber skin. Jenny Ryan, newly in charge of marketing Castle's line, was to her right, Castle was on her left with Dr. Patricia Bauer beside him. Bauer examined fabric samples. "These look lovely, but we should have a laboratory analysis to make sure they are as benign as they seem."

"Already in progress," Inga reported. "And we'll be submitting any others my people suggest. Now Mr. Castle, you can see the designs for both the babies and the caretakers. The babies are not much of an issue. They basically involve using approved fabrics for slightly altered existing designs. The caretakers are something new for our company. Ms. Ryan?"

Jenny picked up the lead for the discussion. "Rick, you were proposing full outfits, both for men and for women. Aside from the expense of producing new designs, the numbers to turn a profit just aren't there, especially for the men. Unisex shirts would make more sense. Then it would just be a matter of sizing."

"Babies are held on laps," Bauer pointed out. "Many of the pants on the market contain resins and fibers we'd want to avoid around sensitive infants and even older children."

"Well then how about coveralls or jumpsuits?" Jenny offered. "They could have pockets for pacifiers and wipes, even smaller toys."

"They'd have to be designed for very fast potty breaks," Castle pointed out. "Our customers would not have that much time to pee, They might even have to take a kid with them."

"I think with the right closures we can make that work," Inga remarked. "We can get some sketches to you within a couple of days. Now as I understand it, you don't want any off shore manufacturing."

"That's right," Castle confirmed.

"We don't want to risk any substitution of materials," Bauer added.

"There are a number of small batch manufacturers in the U.S.," Inga shared. "Some of them are not far from here. I can arrange a tour of a couple I think might work best for your line."

"I look forward to it," Castle replied.

"We haven't settled on a name for the line yet," Jenny pointed out. "Rick, you've given me about twenty of them."

"And what was your favorite?" Castle asked.

"I thought we'd stick with something short and easy to put on a label," Jenny replied, "Cuddlesafe. I checked the trademark data base and it's not taken. It should be easy to use on a logo too."

"I was was partial to 'Rumps Without Bumps," Castle quipped, "but Cuddlesafe should work too."

Inga stood. "Then we're ready to get to work."

* * *

In a rocker with Jake, Kate greeted Castle as he stuck his head into the nursery. "How'd your meeting go?"

"Cuddlesafe is on its way," Castle responded, picking up Reese.

"Oh, that was the name we liked best."

"Uh huh, so did Jenny. Our marketing manager has discerning taste. She checked it on the patent and trademark site."

"Which you already did," Kate recalled.

"Yeah, but it's nice to know she's on top of things. Inga Gonzalez thinks this is going to do well. And Dr. Bauer thinks it should help out some kids and their families too. Win-win."

"That's great, Castle. Alexis called," Kate relayed. "She and Sergei are coming over after Sergei gets off shift. She sounded happy. She says they have something to tell us."

"What?"

"I don't know Castle."

Deep grooves appeared, flanking the bridge of Castle's nose. "When Alexis thinks something is great news, I don't always agree with her. And it looks like you'll be busy for a while. I'd better figure out dinner for two extra people."

"No need, Babe. Alexis said they'd be bringing it. Some sort of new upscale meals-to-go place opened near RCI. Alexis said she and Sergei have been enjoying the food, so she's sharing her find."

Jake started to complain. "Fine. But I suspect our son here wants Mama. Switch?"

"Hand him over."

"So what's the big news?" Castle asked, over excellent eggplant parmigiana.

"Sergei and I are getting a new place," Alexis explained.

Castle lifted an eyebrow. "Why? I thought you guys love your place and it's close to work for both of you."

"We do and it is," Alexis agreed, "We're just going to be needing more room."

Castle dropped his fork. "Wait, you mean...?"

"Alexis is pregnant, Rick," Sergei declared.

"Three months," Alexis added. "I didn't want to say anything until we were past that point."

Castle swallowed and cleared his throat. "Well that's great!" He stood and opened his arms. "Hug!"

Alexis went to her father's bearlike embrace.

"So," Castle inquired when they were seated again, "can you two swing this? Two bedroom apartments in Manhattan, especially your neighborhood..." He shook his head.

"No way we can do that, Dad. And before you offer to help," she said quickly, "no need. Sergei and I have found one in another borough, in fact, not that far from here."

"Not Fieldston, but still Riverdale," Sergei put in. "Very close to the subway. The commute won't be a problem. And my salary will be going up. One of our criminalists relocated. I'll be moving up a level at CSU."

"The way things are set up at RCI, I'll have enough coming in from my share of the business to take a leave, and then I can take the baby with me when I go back to work at the office. Ryan is willing to do more fieldwork and I still have Hayley's associates to call on if I need them."

"It will be wonderful to have you in the neighborhood and it sounds like you have everything figured out," Castle remarked.

Alexis reached out to put a hand on his arm. "We do Dad."


	136. Chapter 136

Life Goes On

Chapter 136

Kate snuggled into Castle's shoulder in the half empty theater. "Castle, this is nice. I don't remember the last time we went to see a matinee. I know you like looking for those little cameos in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. And you needed some time away from Perkins."

"I did," Castle admitted. "I've started to have dreams of Mother breaking into safes. Except in my dreams, she doesn't get away with it. She gets hauled off to jail and she won't let me bail her out because she is too ashamed she was caught in the first place."

"What about my father? He is a lawyer."

"Uh huh, he's there. He keeps trying to talk her into bail but she won't do it, so he takes up residence in the cell next to her. Very nice of him, actually. Oh, the movie is starting."

* * *

"That was pretty good," Castle commented, as the lights finally came up after twenty minutes of credits and a teaser for the next movie. "And from the look of things, my guy is going to get a lot more than a cameo in the next one."

"He should. He had the lead in that horror movie Gunn did, and he was really cute. He looked a little like you when I first met you."

Castle ran a hand through his hair. "Except I was better looking,"

Kate rolled her eyes. "If you say so, Castle."

Castle turned his cell phone back on as they exited the theater. "Kate, there's a 911!"

"From Svetlana?" Kate inquired anxiously.

"No," Castle replied. "Alexis."

"A problem with the baby?" Kate wondered.

Castle shook his head. "I don't think so. I hope not. She isn't headed for the hospital. She says she and Sergei are on their way to our place. This just posted five minutes ago. We'll probably meet them coming in."

The Castles met the Kasparovs practically at the door of the Castle castle. Alexis's hair had worked it's way free of it's clip and there were streaks of soot on her cheeks. Sergei didn't look any better. "Baby, what happened?" Castle asked.

Alexis swiped at the tears, making a further mess of her face. "Our apartment building burned Dad. The fire department got everyone out and tried to save it, but it's all gone. Everything is gone."

Flashing on the memory of the fire where she'd lost her own apartment, Kate gathered her stepdaughter into her arms. "I know."

Lily bounced into the room to greet her big sister, followed by Svetlana who embraced her brother. "Lexi, your face is dirty," Lily noted. "You should wash it. Svetlana has wipes."

"I'll wash it in a little while," Alexis assured her little sister. "Right now Sergei and I need to talk to Daddy and your Mama. Maybe you and Svetlana can play a game for a little while."

"Come on Lily," Svetlana urged. "We can play Name That Song. You beat me last time. I need a second chance."

Lily gazed doubtfully at Alexis but followed Svetlana back to her room.

Castle brought hot coffee as he and Kate gathered around the breakfast room table with the Kasparovs. "Do you want something stronger?" he offered.

Sergei looked at Alexis, who shook her head. "No thanks Rick," he replied. "We were just hoping we could stay here for a little while until we work out a plan."

"We have some things in storage," Alexis continued. "Extra clothes and stuff, but mostly for winter.. And we can't get into it until tomorrow morning anyway. I remembered you have some of our boxes in your basement too. There might be something to get us through for a little while."

"Of course," Castle exclaimed. "I'll take you down to get anything you need. And you can stay as long as you like."

"Lily will love it," Kate added. "She wrote a song for you. She'll be anxious for you to hear it."

Alexis smiled despite herself. "That will be great, but I probably should wash my face first." She sniffed at the smoke in her hair. "And everything else."

* * *

"So what did the insurance company say?" Castle asked, as he joined his daughter and her husband for a third cup of coffee the next morning.

"They didn't say anything," Alexis ground out. "The computerized response system informed me that agents' working hours for renters' insurance do not include Sundays. I won't be able to get a response until tomorrow morning, eight A.M. Central Time, so it won't even be until nine for us."

"It may take longer than that," Sergei suggested grimly. "I flashed my CSU ID and talked to the fire captain last night, before we came here. He said there were signs an accelerant had been used. The fire spread way too fast and burned way to hot. If arson is suspected, it will give the insurance company an excuse to drag their feet."

"Listen, if you need anything...," Castle began.

"Dad, you're doing enough," Alexis interjected. "We'll manage."

Castle held up his hands. "Fine. But the offer is open. I'll be in my office."

Kate appeared in the doorway of Castle's office as he flipped open his laptop. "Babe, I was just coming to join you and I heard what Alexis said. "You know I pushed away your help when my place burned down too, and I wasn't dealing with pregnancy hormones. She was nesting and her nest burned up. That's a lot to cope with. You shouldn't take it personally."

I'm not," Castle insisted, "much. It's not as if I don't know Alexis has an independent streak. I remember how she almost killed herself trying to keep that scruffy apartment she was living in after she broke up with Pi. I get it. She's grown up. She has a more than capable husband. She's expecting a child of her own. But right now, she's still my little girl and she's in trouble. I'm like an old fire horse. I want to gallop to the rescue."

Kate wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. "I know." A crashing chord sounded from Lily's room and wails emanated from the baby monitors. "Well Dobbin, time to get back in harness after all. You take Lily and I'll take the twins."

A brace on the rack holding Lily's keyboard had managed to work its way loose. Castle put everything back together and was relieved when Lily reported that her songs weren't broken. When he looked in on the nursery, Kate was feeding Reese in one rocking chair and Alexis, eyes closed, and covered with a cotton blanket, was in the other, holding Jake and crooning softly. Kate waved him off."

Castle returned to the breakfast room where Sergei was examining the account of the fire, displayed on a back page of the local section of the morning paper. "Are they reporting anything new?" Castle asked.

"No even anything old," Sergei replied, "except for the heartwarming rescue of Mrs. Jurgensen's cat. I saw that. They left out the part where she put a huge scratch on the firefighter who rescued her. But not a word about arson or any suspicious circumstances."

"They must be keeping it under wraps. Kate and I have a contact in the investigation unit of the fire department. We can see if we can find out anything," Castle offered.

"I'd appreciate it, Rick. Listen, about Alexis, she's just upset. She had everything figured out and planned and now..."

"Been there before," Castle assured him. "She'll work it through. She always has."


	137. Chapter 137

Life Goes On

Chapter 137

"Rick, it's been a long time," Lt. Delia Burton remarked, at Rick's call. "I wouldn't have thought you'd have much interest in suspicious fires these days."

"I have an interest when it's the building where my daughter was living," Castle replied. "She and her husband had a place in the apartment house that burned down in Riverdale last night."

"How's she doing?" Delia asked.

"She's upset and angry. She and her husband are staying with Kate and me until they can find a new apartment. I imagine they're luckier than most who get wiped out by fires. They had a place to go. She and Sergei went back to work this morning."

"Sergei Kasparov from CSU?" Delia inquired.

"You know him?" Castle asked.

"Not personally, but I've heard he does good work. I also heard he was asking questions last night. I had no idea he's your son-in-law."

"So did he have a reason to ask questions?" Castle pressed.

"The scene is still being checked out, but from what I hear, he may have. It's a miracle there wasn't any loss of life. But I can give you a call when I hear something."

"I'd appreciate it Delia."

"Hey Rick, no problem. You and Kate helped take down the man who killed my partner. I owe you."

"No you don't," Castle responded, "but thanks."

As soon as the call with Delia ended, Castle thumbed his contact for Sergei.

* * *

"Still on hold?" Ryan asked, noting Alexis' tightly clenched jaw as she gripped her phone.

Alexis' breath escaped in an angry stream. "It's been an hour and sixteen minutes and if I hear one more, 'Your call is important to us,' I'm going to scream."

"Feel free," Ryan allowed. "Just don't give up. That's what they're trying to make you do. Then you'd be back at the end of the queue. You want a water or juice or something? You need to stay hydrated."

"Kevin, I don't need you to fuss over me. I have a husband and a father already doing too much of that. I'm pregnant, not sick. Just put together the latest reports for Frasier Enterprises. We need to keep that income stream coming in."

"Will do," Ryan agreed before retreating hurriedly to his office.

Alexis growled at the automated voice that reported her waiting time would now be approximately twenty minutes, the same thing she'd heard when she first made the call.

* * *

At the sound of approaching footsteps, Grant Goodwin turned from examining burn patterns. "Lt, Burton, I didn't know you were on this case."

"I'm not, Goodwin," Delia confessed. "I just have a personal interest. The daughter of a friend of mine lived here. What are you seeing?"

"It's classic, Delia. Someone really wanted this place to burn. I've found streamers in multiple locations. And look at this." He pointed to a tiny glob stuck to the floor.

"Candle wax," Delia noted. "Not very sophisticated, but effective, as long as the accelerant wasn't too volatile, probably jellied somehow. The candle burns down and sets it on fire. Multiple locations?"

"I've found three. Apartments in different parts of the building, all with tenants on vacation," Goodwin reported.

"So this wasn't just some firebug. Someone knew those people would be gone."

"That would be my guess," Goodwin agreed. "I'll get the samples to the lab. If this was done for hire, the accelerant and the wax may be a signature."

"Can you keep me posted?" Delia queried.

"Sure thing," Goodwin agreed.

* * *

Castle typed the last period of Perkins, the Book, and sent it off the Curtis and Strom. With any luck, the editor wouldn't find too many things to fix. He rotated his shoulders to ease the tension, before pushing out of his chair to go find Kate. She put her finger to her lips as he entered the doorway of the nursery, then walked out softly and closed the door behind her. "They fell asleep at almost exactly the same time. With any luck they should both be down for a couple of hours. You look relieved."

"I am," Castle admitted. "Perkins is finished, at least until I get the revisions. Did you need to work on something for FTC? Study for your course?"

"No, the studying is pretty much done and I checked with Maria earlier, everything seems to be going fine for now, but I'm going to go teach a self defense course later."

"Well that's going to make life tough for would be muggers and rapists. But seeing as Lily is at school, Alexis and Sergei won't be back until dinner time, and this is the exceedingly rare event when we are both free and here together, how about a mad make out session? "

"Things have been pretty grim around here since the fire, Castle," Kate observed. "I'm surprised you're in the mood."

"Maybe that's why I'm in the mood. Things like what happened, Kate, they are a reminder that everything can be gone in a flash. We have to grab moments when we have them."

"That is not a moment you're grabbing, Castle," Kate pointed out as his intimate touch brought an immediate response from her body."But - ooh - you have a point."

Castle pulled her against his growing heat. "It is definitely getting there."

Kate's tongue moistened her lips. "It certainly is. We'll have to do something about that."

Fingers entwined with his, Kate led the way to the bedroom. In the chaos of the morning, the bed had yet to be made, but neither of them cared. They plunged into the disarray, releasing buttons and snaps as they went. Their lips met, tongues searching out their partners. Castle held Kate tightly against his body as they both gloried in the excitation of skin against skin. Already loosened sheets were swept aside as they tumbled together, seeking even greater contact. Kate rubbed her own burgeoning need against the turgid length of his, her urgency growing as his hands found the ripeness of her breasts.

She reached for him. "Castle!"

She stroked him, her fingers finding the tell tale drop revealing that he was as close as she was. Her breath caught, and he gasped, as she guided him inward. He rolled her beneath him and she arched upward, grasping the firm curves below his back, forcing him deeper. "Kate," he warned.

"More. Almost there," she panted.

Their mouths met again, almost in collision, desperately seeking an end to the ecstatic agony. In one last dueling of tongues the cataclysm struck, rolling through Kate's body and seizing Castle in the deluge. The air was forced from their lungs and they gulped to retrieve it, laying mindless as the last of the aftershocks shuddered through them.

Castle groaned as his phone, still inside his pants, let out four clanging bells.

"Let it go to voice mail," Kate advised.

"I can't. That's the ring I set for Delia Burton. She must have something on the fire."

Castle fished for his cell and put it on speaker. "Castle," Delia reported. "It's been confirmed it was arson. And the lab found the signature of a known arsonist, someone responsible for forty fires that we know of. But there's a problem."

Castle sat up straight against the headboard. "What?"

"The signature belongs to a dead man. He died in prison two years ago. Either that fire was set by a ghost, or he had an apprentice, and we have no idea who it is."

"We will," Castle vowed. "We will."


	138. Chapter 138

Life Goes On

Chapter 138

"Did Delia get ahold of the prison records?" Kate asked while Castle checked his email.

"She did," Castle confirmed. "But there are a lot of them. Even speed reading, it's going to take me a long time to go through these to find a possible apprentice or copycat. Pritchard, our dead firebug, was in and out of prison for decades. He could have shared with any of his cellmates, or a substantial portion of the prison population."

"There is a way to winnow it down," Kate pointed out. "Who would have known who was on vacation? You need a nexus between a person associated with the building and with that knowledge, and contact with Pritchard."

"Nexus," Castle repeated. "Kate, you are starting to sound like a lawyer."

Kate gave a little shudder. "God Castle, I hope not. This is pure cop thinking. I bet Alexis would love to get to work on the contacts in the building."

"I'm sure she would at that," Castle agreed. "A distraction would help. She's going crazy trying to get something reasonable out of the insurance company. She's insisting that investigation or not, she and Sergei need to be reimbursed for what they lost so they can begin replacing it. One good thing, she had pictures of all her wedding gifts. The originals were destroyed in the fire but she had the images backed up online. There are some pictures she and Sergei took of the apartment when they moved in, too. She can prove what was there. She just has to get an adjuster to process it all. Mother wants to take her on a grand shopping tour before Perkins hits the boards. She said something about Paris and Florence. But Alexis wants her replacement money first and she won't let me front it for her, even as a loan."

"You know Castle, she's going to need maternity clothes for a while, not haute couture," Kate pointed out. "I know what works. I could take her shopping someplace inexpensive to get a few things as a start. Then when she finishes kicking insurance company ass, she can go more upscale."

Castle grabbed his wife for an impulsive kiss. "I think that's a great idea. You and Alexis could both use a mommy moment."

* * *

Alexis learned, much to her dismay, that the rental records for her building had been kept on site and had been destroyed by the fire. Some of the tenants she had met personally, but for most she had to use public records to check addresses and work backwards. It was slow going. She was glad when Kate showed up at RCI to begin their outing.

It had been a long time since Kate had been at a bargain store, and rarely since she'd been married to Castle. Alexis had ventured in during her poorer student days, but never into a maternity dealer. She had done a thorough computer search to determine where she would get the most for the limited amount she was planning on spending, and picked an outlet on Canal Street. The store itself was not impressive. Knock-off vendors flanked the entrance. Inside, clothes were piled on tables and jammed helter skelter into racks. Hormones hung in the air as women in various stages of childbearing expansion searched for treasures.

"You're just on the edge of petite, aren't you?" Kate asked.

"I'm five four. For most clothes I miss it by an inch, but that means I have things taken up, or take them up myself. I did that when I was with Pi. I haven't done it myself much since. I let Dad spoil me."

"Alexis, he wanted to help you. He got a great deal of pleasure out of it. He still would, but he understands how you feel. So do I." Kate began to dig into a pile of tops. "These are supposed to be long. You won't have to do anything to alter them. With any luck, you can find some ankle pants. You won't have to hem them either. You're due for an ultrasound soon, aren't you?" Kate asked as they sifted through the stacks of garments.

"In two days," Alexis confirmed.

"You want to know the sex of the baby?" Kate inquired.

"You really should," a well rounded woman butted in from across the table. "makes it a lot easier to get baby clothes."

Alexis flushed. "Thanks. I'll think about that."

Kate looked at her sympathetically. "I didn't want to know the first time, but you know your father."

Alexis cracked a smile. "I do. He just had to know, didn't he?"

"Of course," Kate confirmed. "But it really did make planning easier, not just clothes but furniture."

"Planning is definitely my thing," Alexis confessed.

"I've noticed," Kate responded. "Oh, Alexis, look at this!" Kate pulled out a silky shirt, in a green that perfectly complimented the red of Alexis' hair.

"Alexis checked the tag and grinned. "Kate, that's perfect!"

* * *

Castle examined the files of his most likely arson suspects. Two had been Pritchard's cell mates. One had worked with him taking mail orders as part of the prison work program. Another had spent time with Pritchard when they'd both been confined to the infirmary after a fight had broken out in the prison yard. Their backgrounds were suggestive. They all had juvenile records which were sealed, but all had also been caught setting fires as adults. Obviously, they hadn't been very clever about it, or they wouldn't have been caught. They might have appreciated some wisdom from a master, but on the other hand, Pritchard had been caught multiple times as well. Castle wasn't sure he could see any advantage in Pritchard's counsel. Still he had no better ideas. When Kate and Alexis returned, they could compare notes on whatever Alexis had discovered. Kate had been gone most of the afternoon and he guessed that if she wasn't starving, Alexis would be.

Following her after school snack of fruit and yogurt, Lily had begged for Dino Nuggets for supper. Castle suspected that they might not be as well appreciated by the other females under his roof, or by Sergei for that matter. He readied the ingredients for chicken piccata, for the more mature set, and planned pasta as a side dish everyone would eat.

Kate and Alexis arrived home laden with bags, and Sergei put in an appearance while Alexis was stowing her new acquisitions. Kate fed the twins while Castle finished preparing dinner. Finally, a meal was set out in the dining room, for Lily in her booster seat, and the two couples. Over dinner, Castle filled Kate and the Kasparovs in on what he'd uncovered during his research of the prison records. The adults discussed what he'd found, careful to avoid swearing in front of Lily, the human voice recorder.

Lily completely ignored them. She was intent on matching the shapes of her nuggets to those in her new dinosaur book. After she'd identified a nugget, she gave herself permission to eat it, until she found one that made her stare at it in consternation. She held it out to Castle. "Daddy, not dinosaur. Kitty! Not eat kitties!"

Castle examined the misshapen lump of breaded chicken. "You're right, Lily. Someone got their animals wrong. It does look like a kitty cat. Wait, wasn't there something about a cat in the fire?"

"Yeah," Sergei confirmed, "Mrs. Jurgenson's cat. Mrs. Jurgenson wasn't there. She was on vacation. Her apartment was one of the ones where accelerant was found. One of the neighbors was keeping the cat for her at her own apartment, but she couldn't find it in the smoke. She told the firefighters it was in the building."

"So the neighbor knew Mrs. Jurgenson was on vacation because of the cat. That's something I never would have considered. I wonder if there were other reasons we wouldn't have thought of," Castle mused, "reasons not obviously connected with the building."

Alexis nodded, frowning. "Dad, that's a good question. A better one is how we're going to answer it."


	139. Chapter 139

Life Goes On

Chapter 139

Alexis put down her fork. "Oh wait, I just thought of something. You know, the Riverdale building didn't have a doorman like our building in Manhattan. So when Sergei and I moved in, the manager, Mr. Beemer, offered us a card for a post office box place we could have our packages sent when weren't around. I said no, because I can have them sent to RCI. But if the other tenants were using it, they would have forwarded their mail there too when they were going to be out of town for a while."

"Do you remember the name?" Castle asked,

Alexis pressed her lips together, shaking her head. "I didn't even look at the card. But there can't be that many in the neighborhood. And I've been tracking down the other tenants. One of them should know. At least now I've got something concrete to ask about."

"You should do a background check on Beemer, too," Kate advised.

Alexis picked up her fork again. "Kevin is already on it."

"Speaking of the Ryans," Castle said, "Lily and Nicholas are both part of a little performance Kirk organized at Latu's Trails tomorrow."

Lily looked up from a strand of spaghetti she'd been wrapping around a Dino Nugget like a leash. "Playing Lily's songs. Nicholas dance."

"Supple knees. Takes after his father," Castle commented. "Tatiana will be here for the twins. Kate and I are going. Sergei, I know you need to be at the lab, but Alexis, if you can spare some time away from RCI we could make it even more of a family affair. It could give you a view of the future."

Lily gave her sister an irresistible smile. "Lexi come to school?"

There was no way Alexis could refuse. She leaned over and kissed her sister on the head. "I remember Kevin saying something about that. He's going to take a couple of hours to see Nicholas. Of course I want to see my sister play her music."

* * *

Latu's Trails radiated happiness. Before the show started, visitors received a tour. Castle was aware of almost every school feature, having been involved as an investor. For Alexis, it was new. The colors were cheery, but not so bright as to be distracting. There were some conventional kid sized desks and chairs, but other areas were devoted to various styles of learning. Some children looked at words while on trampolines or swings. Others used figures to act out stories. There was a kitchen with low counters where kids could safely practice rudimentary cooking skills. There was also a computer lab. The performance was to take place in the music room. Folding chairs had been set up for the family and friends in part of a large space that had been designed for dancing and musical games. The room boasted a full sized piano and a smaller keyboard as well as a variety of other child sized instruments.

Kirk gave an introduction, explaining how music and motion formed an important part of the learning experience for children. He went on to outline that each child at Latu's Trails was taught music in some form, at whatever pace they could handle. The music was then integrated with reading, simple math, and other skills. He added that when the children start their day with exercise, such as dancing or playing musical games, it becomes easier for them to sit still and concentrate for other activities. What the children would be doing for the visitors that morning, would be showcasing their own creativity, expanding on what they had been taught.

Kirk took a seat at the piano and played a lively tune while several children pounded their own rhythms on drums in accompaniment. Following them, other children played simple songs on small plastic wind instruments. Finally it was Lily's turn. She stood at the keyboard and played, while several of the other students, including Nicholas, danced.

Ryan returned to RCI after the performance, but the Castle family decided that instead of having Lily ride the van home, they'd all go out for ice cream before taking her back to Fieldston with them. "Lily definitely got some of Mother's genes," Castle remarked as his younger daughter basked in the adoration of her family fans while spooning chocolate ice cream into her mouth."

"Straight shot through her father," Kate noted, stirring the strawberry ice cream at the bottom of her shake.

Alexis' cell phone interrupted, alerting her to a text. "It's from Kevin. He left a search running while he came to the school and he has the results now. Mr. Beemer has a history. He's managed buildings in Idaho and Vermont. He did it under aliases, but it was the same guy. And each of those buildings burned down."

Castle pulled out his own phone to call Delia Burton.

* * *

Beemer, aka Angus Shuster, aka Burl Iverson, had disappeared from the surface of the earth, at least as far as anyone could tell. There was no activity on credit cards of any of his known aliases. A BOLO had produced no results. Alexis had decided to go back to the post office box angle. She tracked down Mrs. Jurgenson, who had just received the news of the fire upon returning from a cruise. She and her cat had taken up temporary residence with her son. Alexis met her at his home.

Marta Jurgenson nervously stroked her feline companion. "Yes," she answered in response to Alexis' query. "I did have my packages and my mail forwarded to one of those stores, Your Second Home. It's in that little shopping center where the Chinese and Moroccan restaurants are, right next to where I get my hair done. Do you think they have something to do with the fire?"

"I don't know," Alexis admitted. Her hand flew unbidden to her abdomen and her eyes widened as she felt a flutter.

The wrinkles at the corner's of Marta's eyes fanned out and her mouth tugged upward. "Feeling the quickening dear? It's always such a surprise. I have five, and it got me every time. This is your first, isn't it? Do you know yet if it will be a boy or a girl?"

"It is my first," Alexis confirmed, "and I don't know yet." She consulted her watch. "But I do have a doctors appointment in a couple of hours. Thank you Mrs. Jurgenson. What you've told me may help a lot."

Marta extended a porcelain skinned hand. "Be well, dear, you and the baby."

* * *

Sergei held Alexis' hand as Dr. Augustine ran the wand over her belly. "Looks good," Augustine declared. "Growth is normal for four months. Nothing is missing. So, have you two decided on whether you want to know gender or not?

Sergei cast an inquiring glance at his wife. "I'd like to know, but I'm fine with whatever you decide."

Alexis considered the question. She liked surprises, but she was her father's daughter and she had definitely inherited his curiosity. She admitted to herself that she really did want to know. She also realized that what the woman in the outlet store had told her was true. Knowing if the baby was a boy or a girl would make things easier. And she knew her father would try not to keep asking, and fail miserably. She nodded at Dr. Augustine. "Tell us what it is."


	140. Chapter 140

Life Goes On

Chapter 140

"It's a boy," Dr. Augustine declared, "and from what I'm seeing, a lively one."

Alexis let out a long breath, while Sergei's chest expanded.

The Kasparovs talked in low tones on the subway back to Fieldston. "You don't look that happy," Sergei observed. "Were you hoping for a girl?"

"Well then I would have known what to expect," Alexis confessed. "I guess the best thing to do now is practice as much as I can on my brothers. Maybe the fire was a blessing in disguise, since I'll get to spend more time with them."

"God works in mysterious ways," Sergei commented. "But blessing or not, any more progress on our arsonist?"

"I think so. Mrs. Jurgenson told me which mailbox store may be involved. We might as well get a box there. It will be natural for someone who's lost their apartment. Picking up our mail every day will give me an excuse to hang around the place and check things out."

"Maybe it would be better if Kevin did it," Sergei suggested. "It anything happens, you wouldn't just be putting yourself in the line of fire, you'd be putting our baby there too."

"Except that it would be suspicious. If they checked him out at all, they'd find out that he lives in another borough. He works in one too. We're local. We need a place for our mail. It's the perfect cover. And it's in the middle of strip mall. There will be too many witnesses around to do anything."

"Then at least have Kevin or someone else from RCI backing you up while you're in there. Promise me," Sergei demanded.

"All right," Alexis conceded. "I promise."

* * *

"I'm going to be touring a potential factory for producing our Cuddlesafe line tomorrow morning," Castle announced over dinner.

"Dad, I know you. Have you been researching garment factories?" Alexis queried.

"I have," Castle admitted. "The state has a whole task force on preventing abuse in the apparel industry. I found a list of ways to tell if something is a sweat shop or not. Some of it, I'd have no way to know, like how the workers are being paid. But a lot of it is safety violations too. I asked Alan. He's willing to go with me. If something is out of place, he'll know in a second."

"Oh Castle," Kate reminded him, "I have an executive committee meeting for FTC. Can you get Svetlana to watch the twins?"

"I can do it," Alexis volunteered. "I can use all the experience with the boys I can get."

"That's great - wait - you're having a boy?" Castle caught a water glass he almost tipped over. "The doctor said you're having a boy?"

"That's what she said," Sergei confirmed.

"Lexi have boy baby in tummy?" Lily inquired.

Alexis smiled at her sister. "I do."

"Baby cry like Reese and Jake?" Lily wondered.

"Probably," Alexis admitted.

Lily shook her head as she scrunched lines into her face. "Need more earphones."

Kate barely suppressed a laugh. "Not a bad idea."

* * *

Castle surveyed the rows of women at sewing machines. They gave curious glances at the handsome author, but hurriedly returned to their work. Alan's eyes raked the room as he made mental notes. "What did you think?" Castle asked, when they were back on the sidewalk after their well escorted tour.

"I think you should steer clear, Castle," Alan advised. "They were putting on a good show. Companies try to do that for me all the time. The obvious things were taken care of. The exits weren't blocked. The fire extinguishers had up to date tags. They had sprinklers, but they looked old as the hills. They could fail at any time. I saw some machines in the back room. They probably moved them back there so that they'd have good aisles. They may be moving them back right now and putting more workers on them. That would make the place a fire trap."

"The workers didn't want to take more than a second to look at us," Castle noted.

"I saw that too," Alan agreed. "It could mean they're being paid by the piece. That's one way to skirt the minimum wage. That would mean that even if they're allowed mandated breaks, they won't take them because they'd lose money. Sweatshops pop up all the time Castle. Often they're a lot worse than what we saw in there. That one may be, by the end of the day. A lot of the workers won't say anything because they're undocumented and paid under the table - whatever they do get paid. The city can close these places down but there's no way they can keep up, even if the state does have a task force."

"It sounds like this isn't just a matter of not using this factory for Cuddlesafe," Castle realized. "This could be something Fill the Cracks should address. I should talk to Kate about it."

"I didn't see anything overt enough to merit filing an official report," Alan remarked. "A private investigation could be the way to go."

* * *

After Castle had returned home, Alexis walked the few blocks to Your Second Home. As she'd promised Sergei, Ryan was already situated in parking lot. She had intended playing dumb and asking for as much information as she could get while renting a box, but the "Help Wanted" sign in the window had given her another idea. "I'd like to apply for a job," she announced, walking up to the counter.

A disinterested clerk handed her a clipboard with an application on it. "You can fill this out. The owner, Mrs. Parsons, will be in later. She'll look it over and decide if she's interested in you. If she is, she'll call you for an interview. But it's for the evening shift, three to eleven. If you have a problem with that, you should just forget about it."

"The evening shift will be fine," Alexis returned quickly. "I really need a job."

The clerk shrugged. "Okay."

Alexis filled in the paperwork with one of the undercover identities she had developed for PI work. Staying within legal bounds, she used a version of her real married name, and her real social security number. All the rest of the details had been planted online to correspond with the form of her name she was using. She would be a graduate of a public high school with a history of a series of retail and fast food jobs and a stretch of unemployment. For her expected salary, she put in minimum wage. Her contact number was a second cell phone she had at RCI for undercover work. She handed the clipboard back. "Maybe I'll see you later."

The clerk just nodded and shoved the clipboard beneath the counter.

Alexis slid in beside Ryan in his car. "That was a long time to rent a box," he commented. "What, did you strike up a conversation or something?"

Alexis smirked. "I'm not sure the jerk I talked to knows how to have a conversation. But if my job application is accepted. I'll have a much better in than just renting a box."

"Job application?" Ryan repeated. "That wasn't the plan Alexis. If you get it, that will mean a full back up schedule. We'll probably have to pull in another operative."

"I know," Alexis acknowledged, "but it could be worth it."


	141. Chapter 141

Life Goes On

Chapter 141

At Your Second Home, Adelaide Parsons invited Alexis to take a seat in the small back room that she kept as an office. "I see by your application that you have a lot of experience with the public, dear."

"Yes," Alexis agreed, "I like dealing with people and they seem to like dealing with me."

"But it's been a while since you've had a job," Parsons continued, "why is that?"

Alexis had a story ready. "The last restaurant I worked in, McCready's, it was closed down. It was the thing with the shakes made with peanut butter. I mean, there was a bad batch of peanut butter. A lot of people got sick. A lady from the McCready's where I worked, she died. It's not like we could have done anything. You know? You can't wash peanut butter. I mean, even the Feds didn't blame it on us, but no one would eat there anymore, so I didn't have a job. And it's like I was poisoned too. You know? Since I worked there, nobody would hire me. But it wasn't my fault. The lady didn't even get her shake on my shift. There's nothing I could have done."

Adelaide's watery blue eyes filled with sympathy. "Yes, I understand dear. It wasn't fair for anyone to blame you. And I have always believed in fresh starts. I think you may be just the person I need."

"Then I'm hired?" Alexis asked.

"Yes you are," Adelaide assured her. "You can start tomorrow. Your shift will be at three, but come in at two thirty to fill out all the government forms. I say, they do ask for more paperwork all the time."

Alexis enthusiastically extended her hand and gave Adelaide her widest smile. "I'll be here. And you'll see, I'm a hard worker and I'll do a great job for you."

Adelaide limply shook Alexis' hand. "I'm sure you will dear."

As Alexis joined him in his car, Ryan pointed to his earpiece. "I heard it all. Looks like you've got yourself a job. Parsons didn't sound much like an arsonist."

"No, she didn't. If she's involved, she's even a better actress than my grandmother. But someone at that place is, and I'm going to find out who."

"Alright," Ryan agreed. "We can set up a schedule with Jake and Reese, the senior versions, to back you up. I remember from another case that Reese has a weakness for Moroccan food. He should love hanging around this place. But even so, you be careful."

* * *

Sidney Birkenfeldt scrutinized the flowery handwriting of Adelaide Parsons' note with displeasure. A.C. Kasparov would be coming in at two thirty to start work. That was the girl with the red hair. He had tried to get one of his buddies hired for the spot. It would have made things a lot easier, but Parsons had to go and hire the little twit. He had a pretty good operation going, selling information about who was going to be away. It worked fine for the guys who wanted easy B &E's. And that apartment building had been a sweet deal, he'd gotten big bucks for his tips on that. But now that greedy bitch had decided to expand operating hours and put on another shift. It complicated things. Customers had grumbled about being robbed while on vacation, but when there was no one but him to hear them, it didn't matter. What if the new girl caught on? He comforted himself that she really didn't seem too bright. He finally decided there was no way she'd put things together. But just in case she did, he'd try to be friendly enough at shift change so that she'd tell him what was on her mind. That way, if she suspected anything, he could talk her out of it. Satisfied with his plan, Sidney went to his task of sorting mail.

Alexis was surprised when the clerk who had previously been so apathetic greeted her with a smile and introduced himself as Sid. She would almost have believed he was sincere, but his smile did nothing to warm the chill in his eyes. He didn't like her, she was sure of it. She'd given him no reason not to, especially since she'd seen his eyes appraising her breasts several times. Her detective instincts kicked in full force. Sid was hiding something. The question was, what. She would use every second she could to find out.

* * *

Lily was playing in her room, both twins were asleep, and Kate and Rick were grabbing a rare quiet moment over Rick's latest coffee discovery. Kate savored the surprising brightness on her tongue. "I really like this, Castle. It tastes like it has a little bit of orange or something in it."

"The beans are supposed to have a citrus note, and it should be perfect for you, Kate," Castle asserted. "It's called the 'Brew of Bravery.'"

"Well I don't have to be brave to drink it, it's wonderful. Not so wonderful, Babe, the sweatshops you asked me to look into investigating. I talked to Maria. She tells me that a number of the women from the neighborhood where she and Javi grew up have worked in them and quite a few still do. When they're at work they don't eat. They hardly get to go to the bathroom, and sometimes they don't even get paid. But she's not really sure what FTC can do about it that the city is not already doing. If you have an idea, now's the time to share."

Castle pushed his lower lip upward in thought. "I understand that many of the women won't talk to investigators from the state or the city because they're afraid they or their friends will be deported. Obviously they need someone to talk to they can trust, maybe Maria, or someone else who grew up under the conditions they're facing. The stories would make a great book. The identities can be fictionalized, but we can shine the light of day into that particular dark corner better than any report issued by the state or the city. That kind of publicity would bring pressure to bear on the garment industry to pay more attention to who's making their product. I know my reaction to the shop I saw, got the attention of Inno-Babies. They won't be contracting with that shop again, and Cuddlesafe is just one small part of their business."

"A small part with a loud voice," Kate noted. "But I think you have the right idea. Maria has already gathered some stories. It shouldn't be too hard to get more if the women giving them feel safe. Some of them are on the road to citizenship and eager to help the ones coming behind them. But will you have time for a new book? I know you'll have the revisions for Perkins coming and didn't you say you're adding more chapters about Drumpf?"

Castle inhaled the warming vapors from his coffee and took a comforting sip. "I will and I am, but it will take a while to get all the stories together and confirm them. By that time I should be more than ready for a new project. No worries there. But I am worried about Alexis. I know she has full back up. At least Sergei made sure of that. But even so..."

Kate reached over to caress his hand. "Even so you still worry about your little girl."

"My pregnant little girl," Castle pointed out.

"I know Castle. And I love you for caring about all your kids the way you do, but you can't stop Alexis from doing this, anymore than Martha could stop you from following me around."

"And I got myself poisoned, kidnapped, tortured, and shot!" Castle exclaimed.

"But Castle, you've always found a way to come through, and so will Alexis."


	142. Chapter 142

Life Goes On

Chapter 142

Alexis worked with Sid until his shift ended at six. There was a surprising amount to learn. While mail usually arrived and was sorted before her shift began, occasionally the postal service ran late and she would be doing the sorting herself. There were also deliveries from the messenger services, which could arrive at any time. Packages needed to be marked and held for their recipients. In addition, she would have to operate a large and complicated copier, pack a wide assortment of items for shipment, and send them as well. Shipping could be with any of several services, each with their own forms and requirements. She had her suspicions that Sid's instructions were less than complete. She asked as many questions as she could, noting that he was trying his best to suppress any appearance of annoyance.

As soon as Sid was gone for the day, Alexis took any time between customers to examine the client lists. She used her phone to capture the names of box holders from the computer, so there would be no digital trail of a file transfer. She didn't believe Sid had the smarts to look for one, but there was a possibility that he might have an accomplice who did. Customers began to trail off at around eight, giving her more time to search for clues. She had been assigned a locker for her coat and purse. Sid had one as well, which he had secured with a combination lock.

Alert for the chime that would signal the arrival of a customer, Alexis used skills she had first learned from her father and greatly expanded working with Hayley, to open it. It didn't take much effort. She stared at the contents with a mix of disgust and amusement. "What is it with men and porn?" she muttered to herself.

"What?" came an inquiry from Big Reese, through her earpiece.

"I'm searching Sid's locker," she reported, flushing. Under the stack of slightly sticky magazines, she found a small notebook. After dousing her hands with sanitizer, she examined the contents. There were initials followed by amounts of money. Most were small, about a hundred dollars. There was one entry that stood out. The initials appeared only once and the amount was ten thousand dollars. She photographed all the pages and put the locker back the way it had been.

To fit in a session with Kirk, Lily had eaten early, but Sergei picked nervously at a late dinner, as did Castle. "Come on you guys," Kate encouraged. "Big Reese is right outside Your Second Home and he can hear everything that goes on. And we know how good he and Big Jake are at protecting their charges. Alexis will be fine."

"My brain is sure you're right," Sergei replied, "the message just hasn't reached my gut yet."

"Or mine," Castle agreed.

Kate chewed her lip. "Look, there are more cheerful subjects to think about. We do have a double celebration coming up. Sergei, it will be your first anniversary soon and it will also be the twins' first birthday. Castle, you love planning parties. What's sprouting in that fertile brain?"

Castle drew a deep breath, willing himself to think, but was immediately bombarded by frightening mental images of the marking of Lily's first natal day. "Kate, if you're trying to distract me from thoughts of danger lurking around my daughters, you're failing spectacularly. But given what happened on Lily's first birthday and that we have a castle now, I think we should keep the celebrations in house, especially for the twins."

"I was planning to take Alexis out, just the two of us," Sergei added apologetically.

"Of course, you two can use some alone time," Kate inserted.

"Sure," Castle quickly agreed. "And I can help you snag a reservation at any romantic spot you want. So that brings us back to the twins' birthday. And ooh!" he exclaimed as the spirit began to infuse him, "Halloween is just before that. We could transform this place into two different castles. We do a haunted castle for Halloween, with a ghost in the window of the turret and creepy music like Danse Macabre playing. Spider webs over the windows might work too. And we could have a creaking sound effect every time we open the door.

"But then for the birthday party we make it a fantasy castle," he continued, "with fairy tale players. We could borrow some of Mother's students and dress them up. Lily could be a princess. She'd love that. Jake and Reese could be little princes. We'll get twinkle lights hung outside. We can just leave them up for Christmas. And the kids can play fairy tale themed games." Castle's arms flew up in excitement. "It will be great!" He caught sight of his watch and the light faded from his face. It would be still be hours before Alexis returned. They would pass very slowly.

* * *

Castle restlessly slipped beneath the sheets to join Kate. She turned to him, nestling against his shoulder. "So Alexis is home safe and sound. Think you can relax now?"

"Maybe, until tomorrow," Castle allowed.

Kate brushed the hair back from his forehead. "You know Babe, Sergei and Alexis aren't the only ones who need some alone time. We haven't danced since they moved in."

"You're right. They have gone off to bed and our little ones are quiet. We could do it now."

"Castle, we're in our pajamas." Kate reminded him.

"Which makes you absolutely perfect to do the Sleeping Beauty Waltz. I'm sure we can find it on Youtube."

Kate shook her head and grinned. "Castle, sometimes you're crazy."

"You're just finding this out?" Castle inquired. "Come on Kate! Waltz with me. It will be fun, and I for one could use some."

Kate caressed his cheek. "I know you can. Okay Prince Charming in pjs, let's dance."

Castle used his phone to search out a Disney version of the Tchaikovsky composition. They didn't need the video, but the music would work. "We should do this in the turret," he decided.

Kate shrugged. "Fine."

At the first strains of the music, Castle bowed and Kate curtsied in response. They whirled around the floor normally used for Kate's exercise sessions, careful to avoid the heavy punching bag. With the final chord, they were clasped tightly in each other's arms. Their lips met naturally, but with a sudden flare of passion.

Kate's voice rose from deep in her throat. "Castle, I think it's time for a different kind of a dance."

No more words were necessary. Arms encircling each other's waists, they returned to their bedroom. The sheets were still warm and inviting. They began slowly, the three quarter time rhythm still dancing through their brains. But as more heat infused their bodies, the tempo increased, until only a drummer could have kept the beat.

Castle pulled Kate above him, their lips meeting again, tongues darting and weaving as she rode the rise and fall of his hips. Neither one of them wished to hasten an end, but their minds fled, as instinct alone reigned and the motion became frantic. The tremors flooded through them like hurricane driven waves until they were finally tossed back to the linen covered shore, For moments they lay, any movement beyond the drawing of ragged breaths impossible. Finally Kate reached down to pull the scattered bedding back over them. She snuggled into the damp breadth of his chest as his breathing evened and slowed. Finally, the night's respite from the anxieties of parenthood welcomed them both into its soothing refuge.


	143. Chapter 143

Life Goes On

Chapter 143

Castle did not want to get up. He remembered nothing of his dreams, except that waltz music had been playing and he'd felt a deep sense of serenity. With morning came reality. The twins would be up soon, needing both him and Kate. Lily would have to be fed and dressed for school. And then there was Alexis. When she'd arrived home the night before, she'd been overflowing with the exhuberance of new clues and a new suspect. He had no doubt that she'd be pursuing them the moment she was awake.

Perhaps it was all for the best. The sooner the case was solved, the sooner she would be out from undercover. Still the unease he'd felt the night before was back with a vengeance. As the first sounds flowed from the baby monitor, Kate stirred beside him. "Up and at 'em, Castle."

"Right," he agreed, groaning a bit as he threw his legs over the side of the bed. If he was going to greet the day, he needed coffee, lots of coffee, and a sugar shock of orange juice wouldn't hurt either.

Alexis came running into the kitchen, already fully dressed, as he was filling his first mug. "Dad, I need those prison records you got from Lt. Burton."

"Considered breakfast first?" Castle inquired. "If not for you, then for my grandson."

"Yeah, sure Dad," Alexis responded reluctantly, "but I need those records."

"And you shall have them," Castle assured her, "right after you've had sufficient sustenance. Where's Sergei?"

"He got called out on a case. With his promotion, that happens sometimes now, if there aren't enough field people available. It's not a problem. He likes it."

Castle looked up as Kate entered the room."Ah, my partner in crime. Alexis was just saying our son-in-law is at an early morning crime scene. Remember those, Kate?" Castle filled another mug with coffee. "I'd bring you your first caffeine jolt of the day."

"I hate to break it to you, Babe, but sometimes I grabbed a cup at home before I got there. Not nearly as good as what you brought me," she added quickly, the disappointed look in Castle's eyes immediately making her regret her confession. She took a sip from her mug. "And definitely not as good as this. Jake and Reese are in the breakfast room. If you want to get them started on their cereal, I'll go check on Lily. She has been insisting she can completely dress herself, but sometimes her choices are a little strange, and the hair definitely needs work."

"Yes, I've noticed," Castle agreed. "Now where could she have possibly gotten that stubborn streak of independence from?"

Kate wreathed her face in innocence. "Castle, I have absolutely no idea."

"Dad, I can help with the twins, Alexis suggested. "You can't shovel glop into two mouths at once."

"Are you referring to organic, hypoallergenic, rice cereal as glop?" Castle asked, feigning offense. "Alright, the rice stuff is glop," he admitted, "but Dr. Lauer has signed off on giving them oat rings as finger food, as long as we get the stuff that's certified as single grain. That worked yesterday without any evil effects. With any luck, they'll be picking up some spoon skills within the next couple of months too. Lily did."

"Girls are faster than boys, Dad." Alexis jibed, "at least they have been in this family."

"Another canard," Castle accused. "Just for that, you do the glop and I'll give them the oat rings. When you're suitably sticky, I'll make you and baby Kasparov a cheese omelet and some turkey bacon."

Alexis laughed. "Deal, Dad."

* * *

Castle watched Alexis staring at the large monitor, poring over the records he'd turned over to her, once he'd been satisfied she'd been suitably nourished. What are you looking for, exactly?"

"Initials, Dad. Someone who matches the initials of whomever gave Sid the 10K and is our potential arsonist. Before we were looking for connections to the tenants in my building, but there may not be one. It might just have been someone working for Beemer. Beemer might even have fronted the cash for the information from Sid. But whoever set that fire crossed paths with Pritchard, and as far as we can tell, that wasn't Beemer. And Sid's too young."

"I can help you look," Castle offered. "Two sets of eyes are faster than one. What initials?"

"Q D," Alexis responded.

"Well those shouldn't be too common," Castle remarked. "Actually, as a champion scrabble player, I know just how uncommon a 'q' is. How about running a search for 'q' words. You could just skip over any names that don't match up with a 'd'."

"That is a good idea, Dad. Control F, Q." They watched as the search worked it's way through the records, with Alexis hitting the down arrow whenever they found an unlikely candidate. "Oh look! Quincy Dalton."

"His mother hung a name like Quincy on him?" Castle wondered. "No wonder he turned to crime."

"Dad," Alexis objected, "I knew a Quincy at Marlow Prep. He was very nice, and captain of the wrestling team."

"So he took out his aggressions in a more socially acceptable form," Castle quipped.

"Anyway," Alexis continued, "Quincy Dalton wasn't in prison with Pritchard, but they both had the same cellmate. That was one of the prisoners we looked at before, also an arsonist. That must be how Quincy picked up on Pritchard's M.O., and Dad, I also saw that name at Your Second Home. He's a box holder. All I have to do is wait for him to show up."

"Or we could just give his name to Delia Burton and let her go after him," Castle suggested.

"If she can find him. Often when people have boxes, it's to shield their own addresses. And unless he breaks down and confesses, this isn't enough to bring charges anyway.," Alexis pointed out. "We need to have him do something to give himself away, like pick up an arson solicitation or a pay off. And if he shows up, I can have one of the RCI guys follow him. I can check his mail and any packages he gets, too. Something will pop. Then we can bring in Lt. Burton."

Castle's eyes hardened. "I don't like it Alexis. I don't like it at all."

"You don't have to, Dad," Alexis declared. "Letting me play this out is our shot to getting this guy, and you know it." She stalked away. As soon as she was out of earshot, Castle picked up his cell.

Delia Burton sighed sympathetically into her phone after Castle recounted what Alexis had found on Quincy Dalton. "I'm afraid your daughter is right, Rick. There isn't enough to go after your suspect. But let me know if she comes up with anything else, the moment we have enough, we can have him picked up."

"I will, thanks," Castle responded and threw the phone on his desk in frustration.

* * *

Sid Birkenfeldt stared at the contents of his locker. It had been locked and nothing was missing, but something was off. He thought he'd left his notebook under "Jugs" and now it was under "Hustler." Maybe he was wrong. He couldn't imagine that the dummy redhead could get into his locker, and as far as he knew, there was no one else around. Still he was going to be on his guard.


	144. Chapter 144

Life Goes On

Chapter 144

It was several days before there was any mail for Quincy Dalton. Alexis grew more frustrated as each one passed. Finally a letter arrived. Alexis waited anxiously until it was late enough in her shift that she could count on a few minutes of the store being completely empty. She retrieved the letter from Qunicy's box and sprayed it with a specialized aerosol. She would have one minute when the envelope would be transparent, before the spray vanished. It was enough. A single sheet of paper was folded inside, with a code, an address, and an amount. Alexis quickly photographed the image and replaced the letter in the box.

* * *

The following day, Kevin Ryan stretched behind the wheel of his car. Alexis was not yet back on shift at Your Second Home, but Quincy Dalton could show up any time to retrieve his mail. Ryan studied the picture and description propped on his dash. Quincy wasn't large, nor could he by any stretch of the imagination be considered handsome. He was five five, a hundred and forty pounds, with dark hair and almost transparent blue eyes. His most distinguishing feature was a limp, courtesy of a beat down in a prison shower. Even if he changed his hair color or bulked up, it would make him easy to spot. Ryan would just have to stay alert. Nicholas had developed an ear infection the night before and he and Jenny had taken turns trying to comfort the boy until Jenny could get him to the pediatrician in the morning. Ryan needed another cup of coffee, but didn't dare to risk the aftereffects. In any case, even the thought of an arsonist gave him a sick feeling in his stomach, so he turned up the music from his ear buds and let it beat his brain awake.

It was almost time for Big Reese to arrive to take over the surveillance when Ryan spotted a figure emerging from a Black Ford F-150. Despite overcast skies, the man wore sunglasses and had a ball cap pulled over his eyes. And he walked with a decided limp. It had to be Quincy Dalton. He headed straight for Your Second Home, but remained inside no longer than two minutes before returning to his truck. When he pulled out of the parking lot, Ryan followed.

Quincy didn't leave the Bronx. He pulled up in front of an aging building near the IRT elevated tracks on Jerome Avenue and used a key to get in. Ryan called in the address to Alexis and waited for someone to arrive to spell him.

* * *

"Dad," Alexis shouted excitedly from the hall outside Castle's office. "Ryan followed Quincy Dalton. I have an address."

"Great," Castle responded, "then you can stop going to Your Second Home."

"No I can't," Alexis retorted. "Quincy might get more mail. Besides it would make Sid suspicious. Who desperately needs a job and then quits after less than two weeks? I can't leave until we have this wrapped up. Don't worry. I'll keep my backup. I'll just need someone on Quincy twenty-four seven as well, for the at least the next couple of days. That will bring us the date on on the letter. If he tries to set a fire at the address that it gave, we have have him."

"We don't have him, the N.Y.P.D. has him," Castle insisted. "If RCI operatives spot Quincy heading in the direction of that address with any kind of incendiary materials, we call Delia Burton's people in. That especially goes if Ryan is the one who's on him. He doesn't need to get near anymore potential conflagrations. Ever since he and Espo were trapped in that fire while Jenny was giving birth to Sarah Grace, he gets uncomfortable even around fireplaces."

"Yeah Dad, I can understand that," Alexis acknowledged.

* * *

Jake Pullman rotated his shoulders. As car seats went, his was pretty comfortable, but after 5 hours he was still pretty stiff. If there was an arson to go down, it was supposed to be that day, but so far he had seen no sign of Quincy Dalton, and the F-150 was parked where Quincy had left it the night before. A side door of the building opened and Quincy appeared, struggling under the weight of two large duffel bags. Jake sent a short text to Alexis. "Bingo!"

Jake had a good idea of where Quincy would be headed and was able to keep far enough behind not to raise any suspicions. Quincy drove to an industrial building. As far as Jake could tell, the building was unoccupied. Quincy retrieved his duffels from the back of his truck. Through his high powered binoculars, Jake could make out what looked like candles poking out from an outside compartment of one of the bags. If there was any doubt Quincy was there to set a fire, it was gone. It was time to call in the troops.

Having applied his specially thickened petroleum distillate mix to the most vulnerable spots in the building, Quincy had just lit his second candle when a squad of police and firefighters charged in. Candles were snuffed and Quincy was taken into custody without firing a shot. From outside the building, Jake carefully made a video for Alexis, of what he could catch of the take down.

* * *

Adelaide Parsons smiled as Alexis apologized for leaving her job so soon. "No apologies necessary dear. I was sure you were here on a case. I suspected that little jerk Sidney Birkenfeldt was up to no good, I just didn't know what his game was. I was so pleased when a detective showed up to work undercover."

Alexis' mouth flew open."You knew who I was?"

Adelaide patted her hand. "Well of course! I've been a fan of your father for years. I've read all his books. And I know who your stepmother is, of course. I've also seen pictures of you at book signings and benefits. I thought I recognized you the moment you walked in the door, and googled you to make sure. So tell me, exactly what was Sidney involved in?"

Alexis explained about tipping off thieves to vacationers, the loss of her own apartment, and Sidney's tip to Quincy Dalton. Adelaide nodded her understanding. "I'm sorry you and your husband lost your home, dear. But I'm sure you'll find something even nicer. But taking down an arsonist! You should be proud! I just have one favor to ask. With Sidney arrested, I have no clerks and I can't handle this place on my own. Could you stay a few more days until I can hire someone else - just to take the day shift."

"Of course," Alexis agreed. "Anything for one of my father's fans."

* * *

"Well," Alexis announced proudly as the family gathered for dinner, "the insurance company has finally decided to reimburse Sergei and me for everything we lost in the apartment, as well as for our security deposit. Not only that, they've decided to add RCI to their list of approved investigation firms. We may actually end up making a profit on all of this."

"Now we just need to find a new place," Sergei added.

"But we've got an inside track," Alexis explained. "Lanie is going to scope out the apartments she gets called to when someone dies, especially of natural causes. When she sees something good, she's going to give me a heads up. And she's going to try to get tips from the other M.E.'s too."

"Ooh, I wish she'd done that after my apartment got blown up," Kate mused. "It took every spare day I had to find a decent place."

"Yeah, well you weren't pregnant," Alexis pointed out. "She wants to make sure Bernard has a good start in life."

"You're naming your son Bernard? Why Bernard?" Castle asked.

"After Sir Bernard Spilsbury, the father of modern forensics," Sergei explained. "His work formed the basis for much of what I do and a lot of what Alexis does as well. We thought about Sherlock, but we didn't want him getting beat up his first day on the playground."

"Very wise," Castle agreed. "How about a middle name?"

"Shipton," Alexis declared. "His middle name will be Shipton."


	145. Chapter 145

Life Goes On

Chapter 145

"Any word on Beemer?" Kate asked.

"He's still in the wind," Alexis replied. "He's probably jumped states again using another alias, but that's one of the things RCI will keep tabs on. If we can track him down, the insurance company wants to have a talk with him."

"I'm sure the N.Y.P.D. does as well," Kate offered.

Castle cleared his throat. "Alexis, there's something you should talk about too. Mrs. Parsons recognized you. Who knows how many other people might, who wouldn't be as harmless as Mrs. Parsons? It might be time to call a halt to undercover work."

"Yeah Dad, I already thought about that. I'm going to be showing soon, which will make it that much harder to be inconspicuous. Most of what RCI does is computer based anyway. I have Kevin and Big Jake and Big Reese, but we should have at least one more female operative."

"And you have someone in mind," Castle surmised.

"Uh huh," Alexis replied. "Do you guys remember Roselyn Karpowski?"

Kate's eyes lit with remembrance. "Of course, good cop, good detective, and a good sport. She covered for me so I could have my first Christmas with your family. After that she transferred to the Fifty-fourth."

"She did," Alexis confirmed, "and she got promoted to lieutenant. But she got fed up with the paperwork. She wants to be in the field again so she put out some feelers. Espo picked up on one and called Kevin, and he came to me. She'll be starting with RCI the second week of November."

"That's great!" Castle exclaimed, "but oh God, that's only two weeks from now. That means we only have a week to get ready for Halloween and then the twins' birthday.

* * *

A cascade of orange lights lights played over the Castle castle from a computer controlled projector. A figure in the window of the turret glowed a sickly green and all the windows were covered with glowing webbing and full of grinning jack o'lanterns. The lawn was a sea of pumpkins, not just in the traditional orange but in heirloom speckled white and green. Eerie music flowed from speakers hidden in trees.

Never able to resist dressing up, Castle had fallen back on his standby space cowboy. Kate had become a former rebel space soldier and Lily was a spaceship engineer. The twins were both in pumpkin colored sleepers. Castle had tried to get them to wear hats with green stalks, but after the hats had been tossed to the floor for the tenth time, he gave up.

Castle took Lily door to door late in the afternoon, letting her amass a large booty of treats he carefully examined for safety. Kate gave out candy while he was gone, but was glad to turn the job over to him and to Lily, when they returned.

A huge plastic cauldron had been filled with the full sized candy bars Castle had insisted on. The stash had been diminished considerably by the time Castle and Lily returned from their rounds, but it still lasted through the last of the trick or treaters, with a few leftovers Castle reserved for himself and Kate. With Alexis and Sergei out at a party, Castle had put together a light Halloween supper of spicy pumpkin pancakes accompanied by cinnamon scented cider.

By eight o'clock, the stream of costumed beggars had ended, the twins were in their cribs, and Castle was spinning a Halloween bedtime tale for Lily. "Once upon a time on the orange planet of Valdene, there was an evil emperor. He hadn't always been evil. As a young man he had been kind and loving. He had traveled through the pumpkin fields admiring the orange globes and making sure everyone benefited from the harvest. His people ate pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin soup, and pumpkin risotto."

"And pumpkin pancakes?" Lily asked.

"Especially pumpkin pancakes," Castle assured her. "But one day invaders arrived from the planet Kabongo. They wanted all the pumpkins for themselves, but couldn't take them because the strong young emperor was protecting his people. So they parked their ship out in space, hiding in a cloud of space dust. They aimed the ray of the dark Kabongan heart at the emperor's palace and all that was shiny and good inside turned to evil, including the emperor.

"No longer did the emperor want his people to have pumpkin muffins and pumpkin pancakes. He ordered all the pumpkins to be taken away and given to the Kabongans and his subjects grew hungry and sad. But there was one family, the Peters, who refused to let their pumpkins be taken. Before the emperor's soldiers came to gather them to give to the invaders, they disguised their pumpkins. They carved them to look like the Kabongans. No soldier would disturb the face of their evil masters, so the pumpkins were left alone.

"Once the soldiers had passed by, the Peters had to use up their carved pumpkins as fast as they could. They made puddings, pies, cakes, cookies, pancakes, and anything else they could think of, filling up freezers and pantries. They also had saved all the seeds from the pumpkins they had carved. Some of them they toasted to eat as snacks or put in their salads. The rest they used to plant a new pumpkin field.

"The pumpkins that grew in the new field were magic, having the power to turn a dark heart bright and good again. The Peters used them to make a special pumpkin cake for the emperor. But so no one would know it was made of pumpkin, it was disguised with sweet smelling Valdene spice and red and yellow frosting. The cake was ten layers high and just fit in the back of a very big truck. The Peters brought it to the gate of the palace and told the soldiers it was a special gift for the emperor. The guards let them bring it to the throne room where the emperor sat, thinking of new ways to make his people unhappy.

"The emperor had the selfishness that comes with being evil, and insisted on having the first slice, a super big one. But once the magic pumpkin was in his tummy, the goodness flowed through his body to his heart, making all the darkness go away. The emperor was good again. He told his people they could fill their fields with pumpkins and their tummies with pumpkin pies. His soldiers fought the Kabongans and chased them back to their own planet. From then on, every year the people of Valdene carved pumpkins to look like Kabongans, so they could remember how the Peters defeated the enemy that brought evil to the emperor's heart. And they ate pumpkin pancakes happily ever after."

"What do Kabongans look like?" Lily asked.

"Well I've never actually seen one," Castle explained, "but I think they look a lot like jack o'lanterns, the really scary ones, like we have in the windows."

"How do you know if a pumpkin is magic?" Lily wondered.

"If when you eat something made from it, you feel all warm and happy, then it's magic," Castle declared, "the best kind."

"The pancakes made me feel warm and happy," Lily declared. "That was magic pumpkin."

Castle pulled her covers up and kissed her forehead. "No doubt about it."


	146. Chapter 146

Life Goes On

Chapter 146

"You're looking chipper this morning for someone who got in at two A.M. last night," Castle commented, as Alexis downed her orange juice. "I take it Sergei's already off to the lab."

Alexis sighed and shook her head. "He is, but Dad I can't believe you still stay awake to hear me come home! I mean, I was with my husband."

"I didn't," Castle retorted. "I checked our security system. Things have been known to happen on Halloween and your entrance was recorded. So I assume you and Sergei had a good time."

"Actually the party was so so," she admitted, "but we got a lead on an apartment."

"Was Lanie there?" Castle asked.

"She wasn't, it was a lot of Sergei's colleagues from CSI," Alexis explained. "One of them has a cousin who won the lottery - not a big prize, but enough for a down payment on a house. Anyway, he's going to be moving out of his apartment, but it's not listed yet. We can get in there ahead of the crowd. It's an older building that hasn't been refurbed, so the rent isn't totally ridiculous and it's not a bad neighborhood. There's a park just a block away, there's a decent market, and it's only three blocks to the subway."

"Sounds great," Castle acknowledged, "but you might ask Alan to give it a look. Who knows what might be lurking inside old walls."

"We will Dad," Alexis promised, "but I'm off to RCI this morning, I want to make sure things are set up for when Roselyn joins us. We'll have to change the office around a little bit, get another desk, and put another computer on the network." Alexis held up her hand as Castle's mouth opened. "Before you say anything, I'm not moving any desks. Big Jake will be doing that for me, so you can tamp down your fatherly concern."

"I never said a word," Castle protested.

Alexis touched his arm. "You didn't have to, but I'll be back later to help you make the switch from haunted Halloween to fairy tale castle, and I won't lift anything too heavy doing that either."

* * *

Alexis opened the door for Martha, on her way out to meet Sergei for their anniversary celebration. "I can see that you're badly in need of a director," Martha proclaimed as she swept into the soon-to-be fairy tale castle where her students, dressed as Prince Charming, Aladdin, Cinderella, and Jasmine, were lounging on couches. She handed out printed sheets of paper to the various characters. Now here are lists of things you should be saying to the party guests and to each other. Memorize them before the children start showing up - and Charming, the label of your shirt is up in back. Remember, there are no small roles, only small actors. Each role must be played with full commitment, whether you're on Broadway or in a - smaller venue. Now, show me princes and princesses."

Lily ran into the room, dressed in a floor length concoction of ruffles, and wearing a plastic tiara sparkling with fake gemstones. She twirled in delight. "Look, I'm a princess, grandma!"

Martha lovingly surveyed her granddaughter. "You certainly are." Martha held her students in her gaze. "I trust you can all get into character as well as Lily does. Now where are the little princes?"

Martha found Castle struggling to get his sons into their outfits and baby sized boots. They don't make prince costumes for one year olds in hypoallergenic materials," Castle complained. I had Inno-Babies run these up as rush job. They charged a hefty premium for them too. You'd think they'd fit."

"Costumes often require a little coaxing, Richard," Martha counseled. She pulled on Reese's second boot. "See that's fine.

"You have the magic touch, Mother," Castle conceded.

"Where's Katherine?" Martha asked.

"She went to the FTC center. There was a client we thought was freed from a sexual abuser, but he made a reappearance. The woman is scared to death and Kate went to try to calm her down and find her a safe place to stay. She called SVU into it too, because there's a warrant out on the bastard and she wants to make sure he gets picked up. I don't know how long she'll be. Hopefully she'll be back for the party. If not, Jenny's coming with Sarah Grace and Nicholas, and she can help me herd the horde. I'm assuming your star students will also be helpful in that regard."

"They're not exactly my star students," Martha confessed. "They are just the ones who are available today. But yes, they have their instructions and I will strongly encourage them to do their royal duty.

Castle consulted his watch. "Party minus sixty. Look, both of these guys are walking pretty well now but they love the crawl through fairy cave out in the living room. That should keep them occupied for a while. And if not that, they'll be happy in the blow up jumping house. The pump's already running. Can you watch them while I get the rest of the food organized? I'll keep Lily with me as my helper. She's pretty good at arranging cookies without stealing too many of them."

"Yes Richard, I'm sure I can supervise my grandsons for an hour," Martha responded.

Martha was only slightly frazzled, and Castle was greeting the first of the guests, when Kate arrived with a woman in tow. She was painfully thin. Her hands trembled slightly and her eyes darted as if alert for threats. There were bruises on her forearms and color was blooming on her cheek. She wore clothes that were too big for her. Lily gazed at the new arrival curiously. What happened to your friend, Mama? Was she attacked by an evil ogre?"

"Something close to that," Kate replied. "But right now she's safe in our castle and she can stay with us for a little while until the ogre's been caught. I'm going to show Mrs. Luben her room now so she can rest."

"Princes and princesses should always be kind to strangers," Lily agreed solemnly.

Kate ushered Marla Luben to the second guest room and provided towels and toiletries before inviting her to take a nap, watch TV, or even join the party if she wanted to. Marla opted to lie down for a while and Kate urged her to ask if she needed anything. Satisfied that Marla would be all right for the time being, Kate returned to the party. Castle gently pulled her aside. "What happened?"

"Marla's husband is still on the loose," Kate explained. "There's a BOLO out for him, but we have no idea where he is. We couldn't find an empty bed in a woman's shelter. So it was either put her up in a motel, where she'd be alone and scared, or bring here here where I know she'll be safe. Once SVU gets their hands on that rapist who calls himself a husband, she should be able to go home."

"You know she's welcome as long as she needs to be here," Castle declared. "And we can get her whatever she needs."

"Have I told you today that I love you?" Kate asked.

Castle stuck out his lip in a fake pout. "You were too busy saving the world."

"Well I can show you later," Kate promised, "but I'll say it now, Richard Castle I love you."


	147. Chapter 147

Life Goes On

Chapter 147

Marla Luben froze as her eyes opened on a strange room. Where? Then she remembered. This was the home of Kate Beckett and Richard Castle. It even looked like a castle, and yesterday it had been one to a group of happy children. Even though Kate had invited her, she would have felt uncomfortable intruding on the merriment of what was obviously a lovingly planned party. It would have been hard to see all those beautiful young faces anyway, after Jack Luben had made sure she'd never have children of her own. Still, with the little she'd seen of the Castle children after the party had ended, they were charming if rambunctious, and totally confident in the love of their parents. It was somehow reassuring to see that kind of love could still exist in a world where monsters like Jack Luben ran free. Kate had told her that Jack wouldn't be free much longer. She hoped Kate was right.

One thing she knew, was that in homes with young children, the day began early. Kate had brought her some of what she wryly referred to as her skinniest clothes, dating back to her pre-maternal days. They weren't Marla's style. She had almost never worn t-shirts and jeans, skinny or otherwise. Jack would never allow it. But other than the emergency clothing she'd been given at the FTC center, she had nothing else, and there was a sense of defiance in putting on clothes of which Jack wouldn't approve. Kate had left her underwear too, silky stuff that Jack would call her a whore, or worse, for wearing. But Jack wasn't there. He wouldn't be. Kate had explained the security system. No one entered the Castle home uninvited. Jack would never know what she did there. She laid out an outfit to put on when she finished her shower.

There was a crowd around the breakfast table when Marla arrived. The most fanciful part of the fairy tale scene was gone. In their high chairs, the twins wore simple t-shirts and diapers and were stuffing cereal rings into their mouths with their fingers. The little daughter was clearly dressed for her day at preschool. A woman she took to be Richard Castle's older daughter and the man Marla assumed was her husband, were dressed for work. In a plaid shirt and jeans, Richard Castle was dishing out scrambled eggs, and Kate was pouring juice. "Please grab a seat, Marla," Kate urged.

Marla hesitantly slid into a chair and Castle plunked a plate with eggs in front of her and offered a fragrant mug of coffee. Lily smiled encouragingly. "Daddy's eggs are good, not like Grandma's. She turns the butter black and gets them all yucky. Daddy's stay yellow."

Marla nodded at the little girl and tentatively filled her fork. Until that moment, she hadn't realized she was hungry, but fluffy and savory, the contents of her plate were warming comfort. When pumpkin muffins were offered, she gratefully took one.

Alexis extended a hand. "We didn't meet last night. I'm Alexis and this is my husband Sergei. We're temporary residents of the castle too, until we find an apartment. But I'm hoping that will be soon. Sergei and I will be looking at one today."

Marla wasn't sure what to say except to wish the couple good luck, but they soon rushed off, leaving Kate, her husband, and the children. At a loss for what else to do, she offered to help clean up. She noticed a quick look pass between Kate and Richard.

"All assistance cheerfully accepted," Castle announced, and guided her toward the kitchen. Marla had never seen one so luxurious, but the sink was clearly a sink and the dishwasher obviously a dishwasher, so her tasks were clear. She felt better being able to make some kind of contribution to the household, however minor.

* * *

Alan Masters carefully examined the walls of the Kasparov's prospective apartment. That the building was old, was not entirely a bad thing. Construction in that era had been sturdy, and the stream of immigrants who had done the labor had taken great pride in their work. There were wood moldings that required nothing more than an application of oil soap, and intricate plaster work that could be regarded as a lost art. He did spot some problems. Several of the outlets were non-functional. Clearly the wiring would have to be examined by an electrician. The water pressure could have been better, but was adequate. Heat was still provided by radiators and a standing pipe in the kitchen. Those would all have to be shielded before a Kasparov baby could go running around. But unless the electrical system checked out really badly, he didn't see any red flags.

Alexis gazed around in wonder. The high ceilings lent a feeling of space, even to the smallish bedroom that she imagined as a nursery. The appliances in the kitchen weren't new, but they weren't ancient either and they all worked. She fell in love with the old ball and claw tub in the bathroom. A shower had been jerry-rigged into it, but wouldn't interfere with great baths. The old pedestal sink had re-emerged as fashionable. With the money from the insurance, she and Sergei could add just the right furnishings to make the place a comfortable home. Even without electrician's visit Alan had emphatically recommended, she would happily sign a lease on the spot. It was only a few outlets. How bad could the problem be? Sergei was more reticent, but the three day escape clause in the lease convinced him that an electrical inspection could be made in time for them to avoid a serious problem. Alexis trusted the electrician who had worked on the remodeling at RCI and was sure she could get him quickly. Sergei gave in, and with Alexis, signed on the bottom line.

* * *

Castle wasn't sure what to do about Marla. Kate had been apologetic that she'd had to leave to take an exam, but he and Marla had both urged her to go. Once Kate was gone, it was clear to Castle that Marla was uncomfortable in his presence. He could understand why. He was large, he was male, and she had suffered at a man's hands. He tried his best to keep at a non-threatening distance, retreating as much as the care of the twins would allow, to his office.

The twins didn't allow him much time to retreat. The excitement of the party had not left them. The bounce house was deflated and ready for pick up by the party rental agency, but Castle had purchased the crawl through fairy cave outright. It would eventually be relegated to the basement or donated to the playroom at the center, but for now it would stay where it was, to Jake's and Reese's continuing fascination. Balancing his laptop across his knees, Castle tried unsuccessfully to get a few pages written while keeping an eye on the boys.

"Mr. Castle," Marla offered, tentatively, "if you need to go work in your office, I can watch your boys for a while. I can call you if there's a problem."

There were ideas in Castle's brain he really needed to capture on the page before they withered from lack of attention. "I'd appreciate it," he answered in the most soothing tone he could muster, "and Mrs. Luben, you can call me Rick."

She nodded. "I'm Marla."


	148. Chapter 148

Life Goes On

Chapter 148

As Alexis anxiously looked on, master electrician Larry Bertowski put a meter across the connections to the dead outlets in her new apartment. He looked back at her, shaking his head. I'm sorry Alexis, these haven't just been disconnected, there's no current coming in at all. We'd have to open up the wall to find out what the problem is and in old places like this, that wall isn't sheet rock, it's plaster. The dust is going to fly. If you want it done, it's going to make one hell of a mess. Then you'd have to get a good plasterer in to fix it right, and they're hard to find these days."

"Would it be dangerous just to leave it alone?" Alexis asked.

Larry shrugged. "No way to know without taking a look. We don't know if the connections were properly capped or something's just been chewing on them. In the second case, things could get worse and start a fire. If I were you, I might think about finding another place."

"One this nice, this close to work, with this kind of rent? There isn't another place. Just do it, Larry, and find me whomever we'll need."

"You sure you don't want to ask your husband first?" Larry inquired.

Alexis' eyes flashed. "Larry, I didn't need to ask my father about the details of the renovations to RCI and I don't need to ask my husband about fixing the wiring in our apartment. Just get it done!"

"Yes Ma'am!" Larry returned. "I'll email you an estimate."

* * *

Kate nervously entered the password needed to reveal her grade. She blew air slowly through her lips. She'd aced the exam. Despite the disruptions of motherhood and her work at FTC, she was acing everything. She would get a law degree yet, but she still had a long way to go. It was easier now that the twins were weaned, even with all the allergy complications. She didn't need to worry about nursing or pumping. There wasn't anything she could do that Castle couldn't. But she had bonded with her children more than she would ever have believed possible. Even if she could spend more time away from them, she didn't necessarily want to. The balancing act would continue into the foreseeable future. Castle was doing it too. He was putting out more books, and more highly regarded books, than he had when they were partners at the precinct, yet somehow he also managed to be there for her and the kids . But she could see the wear and tear. His grin was as engaging as ever, but the laugh lines that fanned from his eyes were just a bit deeper and getting out of bed in the morning took him more effort. He easily lifted Lily to his shoulders, but she had seen him pop a pain pill or two afterward, when he thought she wasn't watching. He still looked and acted remarkably young, but he wasn't. In a few months he'd be a grandfather. She knew he'd let her, but she couldn't keep piling things on him every time there was a hitch in her schedule. It wasn't fair and it wasn't healthy.

Her mind jumped to the latest complication, Marla Luben. There was still no sign of Jack Luben. He was hardly a high priority with the N.Y.P.D., even if SVU was involved. Unfortunately the world was full of sexual abusers, and much of society didn't take their crimes seriously enough to provide either the cops or the budget to put them where they belonged. If something didn't pop soon, she might want to get RCI involved, with FTC picking up the tab. She'd have to scrape both Castle and Sergei off the ceiling if Alexis was involved, but there wouldn't be a problem with the other operatives. It might be just the sort of case Roselyn Karpowski could get her teeth into. But there was time. Marla was safe and Luben could still be spotted and picked up. Kate would just have to see what developed.

* * *

White dust flew as master plasterer Morey Philbin, his face covered with a respirator, swung a sledge hammer. It took a few swings, but the plaster fell, exposing what was inside the wall. "Wow!" Larry Bertowski exclaimed."Alexis, you'd better come see this."

Alexis came from the next room, where she'd been staying out of the way of flying debris. Morey handed her a dust mask and pointed inside the wall. Wires had been neatly cut, pulled away, and capped, making room for a hiding place. Inside, wrapped in paper, were what appeared to be several paintings. Alexis pulled her phone out of her pocket and snapped several photographs. She had no idea what the law was concerning things found in an apartment wall. She also had no doubt that Kate could look it up easily, if she didn't already know. But first Alexis wanted a look at what was under that paper. One thing was sure. She couldn't uncover what was under it in a room full of plaster dust.

* * *

The unwrapped paintings were lined up on the long table in the Castle's dining room. "The law couldn't be more clear, Alexis," Kate said. "Anything worth over twenty dollars has to be returned to the owner or turned into the police."

Castle stared down at the pictures. "Are these worth twenty bucks? They look pretty amateurish, like someone was taking a painting class. What I can't figure out is why someone would hide them in a wall. Who would want to steal them? You could do better at one of those "Starving Artist" sales.

"I suppose they could be classed as primitive," Alexis proposed doubtfully, "but I don't remember anything like them from my art history class. Hayley would have known. She was great with art."

"That term is very loosely applied," Castle commented. "However, I could call Selena Kyle. Hidden paintings are right down her alley." Kate rolled her eyes and Castle snorted at her. "Kate, as much as I'm flattered that you can still harbor jealousy, we're married with children. Get over it already. Or I could get a big time expert in from MOMA, but with these questionable works, that would probably be pretty embarrassing."

Kate looked at the paintings again and sighed. "Yeah, sure, Castle. You're right. Call Selena."

"And in the meantime, Alexis," Castle suggested, "let's put these in the turret where no one will look at them except Kate, when she's too tired and sweaty to care."

"Alright Dad," Alexis agreed. As she started to gather up the paintings she sniffed the air. "Wow, something smells good!"

"Marla asked if she could cook," Kate explained. "She's really feeling at loose ends. She's had a brisket going for hours."

"She's helped watch the twins, too," Castle added. "They really seem to like her. So does Lily. She asked me if I was sure that the ogre wouldn't bother Mrs. Luben anymore. She said she's going to write a song for her."

"What did you tell her about the ogre?" Kate asked. "We should keep our stories straight."

"Just that no ogre is ever getting into our castle and that people are working very hard to catch him. They are, aren't they Kate?"

"I hope so, Babe, but if they aren't, we'll go to plan 'B.'"


	149. Chapter 149

Life Goes On

Chapter 149

"Marla, this is outstanding!" Castle remarked as the last of a bite of brisket melted in his mouth.

"Thank you Mr Cas - Rick," Marla replied. "I like to cook. My grandmother taught me all her recipes."

"She certainly taught you well," Kate commented.

"Um, if you like it Kate, then I was wondering …. You are both so busy, I was wondering if it would be all right if I did the cooking while I'm here. And if you have an errand to run or something, I could watch the kids too. Just waiting for the police to catch Jack, I really need something to do."

The Castle's exchanged glances and almost imperceptible nods. "I think that would be great, Marla," Kate replied. "We can use the help."

Marla's lips made a rare upward motion. "Okay then."

* * *

Puzzled, Serena Kyle re-examined the paintings. "Honestly Rick, I can't imagine why anyone would go to the trouble of hiding these. Even the frames are cheap."

"Could there be other paintings underneath?" Alexis inquired. "I've read that smugglers sometimes do that to hide masterpieces."

"I've had experience with that," Serena agreed. "I've retrieved several paintings that were hidden that way. But that's not what was going on here. The paint's not thick enough. And there's not room for another canvas in these frames, either. The only thing I can suggest is that the paintings had some sentimental value. They're not worth anything else."

"Well thanks for having a look," Alexis responded in disappointment.

Selena winked. "Just call me next time RCI gets an art recovery job."

"I will," Alexis promised.

* * *

After she'd shown Serena out, Alexis dropped into a chair. "Dad, I don't understand this at all. Why would anyone seal up a bunch of worthless paintings in a wall? And if they had sentimental value, wouldn't whoever it was want to look at them?"

"Clearly, there's a story here," Castle declared. "And if you want to find out what it is, you'll have to start at the beginning. Who would have been around when those walls were plastered the first time? Who lived there afterward? There must be some records somewhere."

"You're right Dad," Alexis agreed. "Sergei and I will be busy putting together our new apartment - after we get all the plaster dust out - but I'm going to find time to solve the mystery of the paintings in the wall."

"Ooh, very Nancy Drew," Castle observed. "I like it."

* * *

Roselyn Karpowski ran her hand over the smooth wood of her desk at Richard Castle Investigations. It was definitely steps up from N.Y.P.D. issue. When the writer first started trailing after Kate Beckett at the Twelfth, she never would have imagined anything like this would come out of it. She never would have guessed that someone who came on as that self-centered, would have a daughter, let alone one who would grow up to be her boss. And the Fill the Cracks Foundation proved that her first impression was anything but accurate. Castle had managed to help Beckett tackle a lot of the open sores of New York, in a way that the city bureaucracy never could. So now there was an abused wife terrified of a man the N.Y.P.D. couldn't find, and Kate Beckett wanted Roselyn to try. She'd certainly give it her best shot. But she wasn't going to do it behind a desk, no matter how upscale. There were places in the city to go to ground and she still had some contacts out on the street to help her find them. It was a good thing she still had some decent walking shoes, and some less decent shoes for other purposes.

The grill in Mac's Bar and Grill consisted of greasy burgers and even greasier sausages, accompanied by mushy thick cut potatoes. The bar was not much better. If you wanted a wing or a micro-brew, Mac's was not the place to go. If you wanted to buy a place to hide, it was. Among the beer kegs and bottles of cheap whiskey in the storage room, Mac ran a referral service. If someone had an open hole, he would find someone to pull it in after them. Roselyn had run across more than a few of Mac's clients over the years. Some of them were well enough fixed to merit an apartment with all the amenities like a working stove, refrigerator, and line to the nearest pimp and/or bookie. Others just needed a way station until they could steal a credit card or enough cash, to get them out of town.

Mac was smart. He could never be connected with any crime, he asked no questions, and scrupulously avoided any disclosures. He was just the sort of man Jack Luben would seek out to help him melt into dirty woodwork for a while. He had been around long enough to recognize Roselyn on sight, but was rarely out front, letting his bartenders handle both serving drinks and vetting prospective clients. No one behind the bar knew Roselyn. They weren't going to, or at least not the Roselyn she had seen in the mirror that morning. Her dark curls were covered by a straight red wig. Four inch spikes lengthened her legs. Her cleavage bulged from her top, deflecting eyes from her face. She found a place at the bar nearest a keg. Lounging on her stool, she drank on tap beer, with her eyes on the screen on the wall and her ears tuned to the room. There wasn't much of interest to hear, except the cursing of patrons who'd bet on the loosing team, and the whoosh of beer leaving a keg. She kept her eyes on the pressure gauge. When it neared the red zone indicating the keg was empty, she attached a small metal bug. When the bartender switched out the keg for a full one from the back room, Roselyn could eavesdrop on conversations that might matter.

* * *

Alexis took a table in what had been her father's favorite refuge, the main branch of the New York Public Library. She had already been to the hall of records and determined that her building had been erected in 1931. A lot of tenants had passed through since then. The frames of the paintings were stapled together, which indicated a more recent manufacture, but still left a lot of open time. The manager's records went back seven years and had no indication of the wall being re-plastered, but Morey Philbin said the previous work was excellent, probably indicating it had not been recent. Her best clue had been when she called Larry Bertowski, who told her that the caps on the electrical wires appeared to be from the '60's. Apparently no one had worried about non-functioning outlets enough to open the wall since then. That left about sixty years to research. The neighborhood had changed many times since then, with one group moving out while another took its place. She hoped she could figure out a direction from the history of the waves of occupants. There had to be someone who would want pictures enough to go to all the trouble of sealing them in a wall. It wasn't much to go on, but it was something.


	150. Chapter 150

Life Goes On

Chapter 150

It was Saturday morning, but Marla Luben was up early. Though she had become pretty familiar with the Castle's kitchen, there were still occasional ingredients to locate and meals to plan, starting with that morning's breakfast. The twins were easy. The foods they were allowed were on a prominently posted short list. She had been told that things were added from time to time, but their pediatrician preferred to err on the side of caution. For the rest of the family, it was wide open. Pancakes were a family favorite, but not like the pan-sized thin ones she'd grown up with. Rick Castle seemed to have a strange love for weird combinations, especially if they involved chocolate, but none of Marla's recipes for a morning meal fit that bill. She decided on her grandmother's version of French toast, rich with cinnamon and vanilla.

The sweet and spicy scents floating through the air would have been enough to draw Kate and Rick from the warmth of their bed, even if the honks, whistles, and squeaks from crib toys hadn't been emanating from the monitor. Working together with an efficiency borne of endless practice, they got the twins changed. Then they checked on Lily. In princess pajamas, with earphones firmly in her ears, Lily was at her keyboard, her voice softly piping along with the notes she played. She looked up at her parents and smiled. "Song for Mrs. Luben is almost done."

"That's great," Castle said, "and my nose tells me she has something for you too. Ready for breakfast?"

"Three more notes?" Lily asked.

"Of course," Castle allowed, then led the way to the breakfast room when his daughter was finished.

* * *

After their fragrant feast, Castle checked the weather. A warm front had come in, making an outing with the twins possible without bundling them up so they looked more like bolsters than babies. Castle decided it was time for the twins' first trip to the local branch of the library, a place Lily had already come to love. Saturdays featured story time, something Castle had also initiated at home, but would carry an enhanced sense of wonder when surrounded by the world of children's books.

When the Castles arrived, children were already gathered around a young volunteer who was trying to do her best to be perky, despite an obviously scratchy throat. Things got worse as she read the story of Ferdinand, a bull who would rather smell flowers than fight. Finally Castle offered his services to take over the sharing of the tale. Kate was holding Jake on her lap and Castle kept Reese on his while he read. Lily sat cross legged on the floor in front of him. The voice that had captivated so many of his readers, entranced the group of toddlers and preschoolers as well. Castle winced and snorted when Ferdinand was stung by a bee and sighed in contentment at the end, when Ferdinand was allowed to return to his pasture.

By the time he was finished, his audience was delighted, but the twins were both wet and restless. Kate took them to a changing station in the ladies room and returned to find Castle staring at a text from Alexis, while Lily searched the shelves for a book to borrow. "What's going on?"

"Alexis says she thinks she's figured out why someone might have put those paintings in her walls."

"I would have thought she and Sergei would still be too busy working on their apartment today to bother with that," Kate mused.

"I understand that they've made pretty good progress. The painting is done. The furniture is all in. They've got the essentials. But you know Alexis," Castle said, "once she gets her teeth into a story, she won't let go until she knows the end."

"I'm familiar with the concept," Kate commented dryly.

"Anyway," Castle continued, "she wants to come up to the house later and bounce her theory off of us. I thought maybe both she and Sergei could come for a marvelous Marla meal."

"You better tell Marla first," Kate cautioned.

"I will," Castle agreed, "but she always seems to cook more then we can eat anyway. I think I'm going to have to up my exercise to compensate."

Kate bumped him with her hip. "Babe, we can always figure ways for you to get a work out."

"I'm looking forward to it," Castle whispered.

* * *

Glad to welcome the Kasparovs back to the Castle dining room, Marla had outdone herself. The table held two perfectly browned roast chickens, with sausage dressing. There were new potatoes and sweet tender carrots, as well as a large salad. A chocolate torte for dessert completed the menu.

Over coffee, Alexis laid out her theory. "I've been studying the people who moved into the area where our building is now, and their attitudes toward paintings. I was looking at the pre-gentrification era. Most of the residents back then would only see paintings in museums or maybe buy one from a street artist. Most of their money went toward food, clothing, shelter, and education for their kids. But they had nothing against art. I found one group that was different though. Around the late fifties and early sixties, they occupied a very small area, but it included the building where Sergei and I live now. They were an offshoot religious sect with a very strict interpretation of the old testament. They were heavy into the commandment against the making of graven images and the ordinance that went with it against making an image of anything on earth or in heaven. So they couldn't have any pictures of human beings, like those paintings are. They couldn't have photographs either, nothing to remember each other. I think someone went against that prohibition and made portraits of their family or their friends so there would be some record of them. Then they sealed it up in the wall of our apartment."

"What a great story!" Castle exclaimed. "The Castle creative genes have definitely come through. But how are you going to prove it?"

"There were only a few family names in the sect," Alexis explained. "I'll look for descendants, see if anyone might remember someone who lived in that apartment."

"You might look at people who do plaster work," Kate suggested. "Sometimes skills like that are passed down through families. Someone still might have a plaster business."

"You're right!" Alexis agreed. "I'll ask my plaster guy, Morey Philbin, and see if he knows anyone."

"Chuck Boone from school fell off monkey bars in the park and broke his arm," Lily put in as she licked the last of the filling of her torte, off her fork. "He has plaster in a cast on his arm. He got it at the hospital."

"I think a wall is a little different," Alexis told her sister, "but it's a good thought. I hope Chuck is better soon."

Lily shook her head. "He's okay. Kids wrote names and drew pictures on it. Lagi's friend made a dragon with fire in its mouth. Chuck likes it. He doesn't want the doctor to take his cast off and break the dragon.

"Uh huh," Alexis agreed. "I can understand that. Sometimes pictures make people happy. That's why I want to find out who made the pictures I found. There may be someone they'll make happy too."


	151. Chapter 151

Life Goes On

Chapter 151

Castle stretched contently against the headboard. "That will absolutely help keep any middle aged spread resulting from Marla's cooking under control."

"Glad to hear it Castle, but I'm hoping Roselyn will come up with something soon on Jack Luben, so we can put him away and Marla can go home. Alexis and Sergei were bad enough as in-house chaperones, but with Marla's background it's kind of rough to even touch you around her."

"I know," Castle agreed. "I feel the same way about copping a feel of your entrancing form. And we've stopped dancing again."

"Oh I don't know, I think we just danced pretty well," Kate quipped.

"It was an excellent bump and grind," Castle conceded, "but I meant another kind of cheek to cheek, with slow dances and quick steps. But really, getting back to Marla. I think she's still wary of me. She's trying hard not to show it, but she is. She was even a little skittish around Sergei and he's not as big as I am. I suspect she's nervous around men in general and I can't blame her. She's probably going to need therapy, but the sooner she can be somewhere she's more comfortable, the better."

"I agree Castle, but Alexis assures me Roselyn is working very hard on tracking that bastard down. She should have something soon."

* * *

After accompanying Sergei to church, Alexis took advantage of the Sunday hours at the library to continue her research. Morey was unreachable until Monday, but even if she couldn't check with him about other master plasterers, she could check on five families who comprised much of the sect, Abendroth, Bakal, Chacko, Frisch, and Kotlyar.

She started with the Abendroths. In the seventies, someone had written a history of the family. It was fascinating. As immigrants, they had been both highly observant and hardworking. They had brought a knowledge of the dry goods business with them and after selling fabric from a cart, had managed to open a store. The children, however, had grown away from the sect and joined a mainline synagogue. Eventually they had opened businesses of their own, but all retail, nothing manual like plaster or electrical work. Alexis checked them off her list.

She moved on to the Bakal family. Their patriarch was a ritual slaughterer, according to strict religious precepts. They had opened a kosher butcher shop, which had eventually closed after a disagreement with a certifying rabbi. The family had dispersed to various parts of the city and into various professions, especially lawyers. Again, there was no connection to plaster.

The third family was the Chackos. At first they seemed more likely. The original arrivals in New York had been skilled carpenters, doing a lot of custom work for the well-to-do. But again, the children had gone their own way, this time into the theater, becoming actors, directors, and designers, completely abandoning the old rules except for holiday observances.

Her discouragement turned to nausea upon investigating the Frisch family. As far as she could tell, they had achieved nothing of note except for a scandal involving a son who managed to sleep with both a mother and her sixteen year old daughter before choosing the daughter as his wife. He had been ostracized by both his family and his sect and ended up moving to Georgia where the age of his wife was more acceptable.

When she finally looked up the Kotlyar family, she felt she'd struck gold. An architectural history told her that they had actually gained fame for their excellence in plaster work, crafting the ceilings of many upscale buildings. She couldn't find an existing business, but it was likely Morey would know. There had been ten children born to the original couple that had come to the United States. It was more than possible that one of them had lived in her apartment. She definitely had a trail to follow.

* * *

Roselyn was just as intent on her work. The bug she had planted on the keg was sound activated and beamed information in bursts to a recorder she had planted outside the building. Much of what she heard was the clacking of bottles and the clanging of kegs, but interspersed with with the noise, were several conversations Mac had with various clients. Mac discouraged them from discussing their reasons for needing asylum. He could not be accused of shielding someone who had committed a crime, if he had no knowledge a crime existed. But there was an occasional name, or more precisely a nickname. She listened to hours of useless information until she heard Mac calling someone Jackaloo and telling him if his funds were running out, he could move him to the "Lows," but he still expected cash on time every week. Jackaloo could be Jack Luben, and if his cash was running out, it was only a matter of time before Mac kicked him loose. There were two ways she could find Jack. One was to have surveillance on Mac's, especially on the day Jackaloo's rent was due. The other one would be to figure out what was meant by "Lows," and she knew no one better at figuring out obscure clues than Richard Castle.

* * *

"Did you get a call from Roselyn, Babe?" Kate asked.

"I did," Castle confirmed. "She asked me if I could get a handle on what "Lows" might mean, as uttered by a landlord to the hideout seeking set. She has never heard a police reference that makes any kind of sense. Have you?"

"No," Kate admitted. "I've never heard one about the geography of the city either, and I think just about every section of the city came across my desk as Advocate."

"Well Roselyn understood it to be someplace cheap. But she also said this Mac character she was bugging, is into nicknames. I was thinking that "Lows" might be short for something. We might be looking at a group of downscale, maybe even decrepit properties, with 'low' in their names somewhere. So I thought I'd investigate likely areas - there isn't that much that even approaches cheap in this city - and then do a string search."

"Even if you're right, that's a lot of work," Kate asserted.

"It could be," Castle agreed, "but I might get lucky. It will be worth it if it leads us to Jack Luben."

"How about your book?" Kate asked.

"Dogged research that succeeds in tracking an asshole like Luben down could result in a great chapter. In fact, figuring out a place that criminals hide could be useful in all sorts of ways. But in any case, I'm going to do my best to find him. Guys like Jack Luben give a bad rap to every man on the planet."

"That's true. Girls who grow up thinking men are like that, come to expect it and accept it when it they're assaulted or abused."

"I'll tell you," Castle added, if Sergei ever tried to do something like that to Alexis, or anyone tried to hurt any of our kids, I'd make sure they never saw another sunrise, and I don't give a damn what the consequences would be."

"I know Babe. I've seen what you'll do protect the ones you love, and so has Alexis." Kate pressed her head into his shoulder. "But Lily and the boys have both of us watching out for them. The Jack Lubens of the world won't even get close."

A/N While the biblical reference about graven images and images in general is real, the sect and the families in it are completely made up. While there are those who hold such beliefs, I'm not writing about anyone specific.


	152. Chapter 152

Life Goes On

Chapter 152

Kate used the tips of her fingers to rub the knots out of Castle's shoulders. "Who would have thought there would be so many variations of 'Lows'" he groaned. "There are multiple spellings and nothing I've found has clicked."

"Maybe it's time to take a break," Kate suggested. "Your mother is coming over. She says she found the cutest outfit for Lily and she just had to bring it."

"Oh no!" Castle groaned again. "not another one of those jumpers with the musical notes all over them. Lily's tried to make tunes from the ones mother's given her so far, and gotten upset because the songs are terrible."

"I don't know Castle, maybe it's something for Thanksgiving. We'll just have to see when she gets here. Marla made a strudel, so having company won't be a complete loss."

"Darlings I received some wonderful news just as I was on my way over here," Martha announced as she swept through the door of the Castle castle, "there's going to be a revival of Arsenic and Old Lace starting up about the time the run of Perkins is coming to a close and I'm wanted for the role of Martha Brewster."

"Gramma!" Lily exclaimed as she ran to meet Martha.

"Oh yes, the purpose for my visit," Martha remembered. She slipped a shopping bag from her arm. "Katherine, I recalled how adorable you looked dressed as Pocahontas the first Thanksgiving you were with Richard, when I saw this. I knew it would look just perfect on Lily." She pulled a Lily-sized fringed buckskin dress and matching buckskin moccasins from her bag.

Lily ran her fingers over the soft leather. "Gramma, we're doing a Thanksgiving play at at school. Can I wear this?"

"Well of course, Darling," Martha proclaimed. "At last, someone else in the family with a feel for the theater!"

"Theater!" Castle repeated. "Loews! That's another spelling. But what's left of those are all AMC now. What if Mac meant a defunct theater or a string of defunct theaters somewhere, that were converted to house his clients? When movies started migrating to the megaplexes, a lot of local theaters went broke. Someone like Mac or one of his associates could have picked them up for a song and a dance. All we need to do is check the property records."

* * *

Kevin Ryan and Roselyn Karpowski sat in a van outside an old theater. Officially it was closed, but the place had power and heat and was clearly occupied. They had also spotted food deliveries coming in. Supplied with the basics, there would be no need for the residents to venture out, but Roselyn had recorded Jack Luben at Mac's, so chances were someone would leave sooner or later. They could only hope so, and if they could identify a criminal, they would know they were on the right track.

"This is getting us nowhere," Ryan asserted. "We need to get in there somehow."

"How do you propose to do that?" Roselyn asked.

"The food's been coming in a van, and we've got pictures of all of it. All we need is a little stage dressing," Ryan explained. "I've got an outfit from when I was playing a caterer. You got the name of the delivery company, right? We call up and cancel the next delivery and show up instead. We can play it by ear from there."

"I think you've been hanging around Castle too long, Ryan," Roselyn protested. "It's not much of a plan."

"Have you got a better idea?" Ryan asked.

"Not really," Roselyn admitted.

* * *

"Sorry it took me so long to get back to you, Alexis," Morey Philbin apologized. "I had a refurbishing job up in Harlem. Some muckamuck is moving in. Ever since Bill Clinton put his offices up there, there's been a great market in those old brownstones and some of those people have no patience at all."

"I'm just glad I could get in touch with you," Alexis responded.. "I just need some information to solve our painting puzzle. Do you know of a family named Kotlyar that worked in plaster?"

"Know them? I studied with them," Morey replied. "They did the best ceilings in New York. But most of them relocated to Florida in the nineties They moved into some kind of special buildings where the elevators don't run on Saturdays. There's only one family member left in New York, Moishe. He kind of drifted away from the rest. He works out of another plaster shop with a partner. It's called Falconi's. It's in Brooklyn."

"That explains why I could find him," Alexis realized. "Thank you Morey. I think those paintings may belong to Moishe or someone who was close to him."

"I hope you're right," Morey offered. "I'd hate to think someone went to all that trouble for nothing."

* * *

Ryan gazed approvingly at the van. The logo of the company that had made the food deliveries to the shuttered theater had been duplicated perfectly, as had a gouge along one side. With his server's vest paired with a pair of what looked like well worn jeans, but had actually just been distressed by Jenny, he looked the part of a food delivery flunky. He wore a tiny button camera, giving Roselyn the opportunity to see and record everything he saw. All he had to do was make it in.

The man who opened the door to Ryan's full arms looked him up and down suspiciously. "You're not the usual guy."

"No I'm not," Ryan agreed. "He got an infection on his hand. Pretty ugly. You wouldn't want him anywhere near your food."

The man grimaced. "Okay. I'll show you where to bring your stuff. Make it fast and get out."

Ryan brought in several cardboard boxes and went back to the van for cases of canned soft drinks and bottles of beer. When he returned, a denizen of the hutch came in to grab one of the latter. "Hey, I've been waiting all afternoon just to get a fucking beer.!"

"Sorry," Ryan apologized. "It's been a screwed up day. "

The beer drinker studied the ex-cop intensely. "You muthafucker, I know you! I saw you and that spic partner of yours when I was dumped in holding." He pulled a gun. "We got a cop in here!" he shouted loudly.

"You're making a mistake," Ryan insisted trying to figure out how he could get his own gun from the holster on his ankle. "I just deliver food."

Several more men came running into the room. One of them frisked him, with no gentleness. His weapon was taken and his ID examined. "Well what do you you know?" his searcher smirked. "He isn't a cop. He's a freakin' PI. What the hell are you doin' here PI?"

When Ryan didn't answer, he was whipped with his own gun. He was barely conscious enough to hear what was going on around him. "What the hell are we going to do with him?" The beer drinker queried.

The man who had belted Ryan shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we call Mac and ask. Tie him up with something until we figure it out."

"Roselyn looked on in horror, afraid that any moment they'd spot the camera, take Ryan out, and come looking for her. She had to keep from being taken too and get the cops in - fast. She called Javier Esposito.

A/N For my readers in the UK, the jumpers for Lily that Castle referred to, aren't the same thing here that they are there. What you call a jumper, we call a sweater. In this case, the offending articles of clothing are like little sleeveless dresses meant to go over blouses. They can be very cute on little girls - or not.

'


	153. Chapter 153

Life Goes On

Chapter 153

ESU quietly ringed the old theater. Esposito studied Roselyn's recording of the video from Ryan's camera, before consulting with their supervisor, Lieutenant Ross. "Ryan went in the back door and by my count took twenty steps to get to the room where he's at. As far as I can tell, he's on the floor, tied up, and there's one guy watching him. We know there are at least a couple of others in the building. We don't know what that douche boss of theirs told them to do. They could decide to shoot Ryan at any time."

"Is he conscious?" Ross asked.

"Don't know," Esposito responded. "He got hit pretty hard and he's not saying anything."

"Then we'll have to assume he can't help us get him out of there," Ross decided.

An ESU sergeant came running up with an I-Pad. "These are the building plans, Lieutenant."

Ross scanned through the drawings. "The top floor has a projection booth and it looks like it's right over the room we're assuming Ryan is being held. There's entry by a window and a trap door with some folding stairs leading down. If we can get some of our men up there, they can throw down a flash grenade, then take out the guy guarding Ryan, and whoever else tries to get in."

It seemed part of a dreamscape. Ryan felt rather than saw the flash, and then the pounding of feet as ESU stormed the room. He heard a familiar voice reaching through the fog. "It's alright bro, we got you."

* * *

Esposito sat opposite Grover (Mac) Mackenzie in interrogation. "Look Mackenzie, we got you on enough counts of harboring to put you away forever. But there is one way you can help yourself, tell us where the guys we haven't found yet are, starting with Jack Luben. You do that, I ask the D.A. to cut you a break."

"Why Luben?" Mac asked.

"None of your business!" Esposito retorted. "Let's just say he messed up the wrong person. But you're gonna be messed up good if you don't tell me where he's at. Or maybe you think you'll like prison food. Let me clue you in. It's even worse than the crap you serve in that place of yours."

"I'm not saying anything until I talk to my lawyer," Mac returned.

Esposito shrugged. "Fine, but he better get here fast. My offer is good for thirty seconds. Twenty-nine, twenty-eight, twenty-seven..."

"Alright!" Mac interrupted. "Luben is in an old house in Queens. I'll give you the address."

* * *

"Jack Luben is behind bars," Kate announced to Marla. "And since he's been pegged as a flight risk, he's going to stay there. No bail. You're safe. You can go home, as soon as you're ready."

Marla swiped at her eyes. "Thank you. And the detective who was hurt, how is he doing?"

"I just spoke to Alexis," Castle responded, joining them in the kitchen. "He had a concussion, but the doctors have pronounced him sound. He's back at work."

Marla sniffed and used a paper napkin to wipe the moisture from her cheeks. "That's good. I'd love to make you a special meal before I go, to celebrate. You know I'm really going to miss cooking for people who appreciate it as much as you do."

"You don't necessarily have to miss it," Kate offered. "Maria Esposito told me that she got a job posting from a shelter that takes in abused women and their children. They need a cook. You'd be taking care of a group people who'd appreciate it a lot. And they'll probably be more comfortable being around someone who understands what they went through."

"You think I can get it?" Marla questioned. "The way Jack kept me from doing anything away from him, or our apartment, I don't have much of a resume."

"You'll have the backing of FTC," Kate told her.

"And a glowing recommendation from the Castle family," Rick added.

Kate wrapped her arms around Marla. "You're going to make it. I know you are."

* * *

Alexis pushed the buzzer for admission to Falconi's Premium Plasterwork. "I'm looking for Moishe Kotlyar," she announced to the gray haired man who opened the door.

The man raised a questioning eyebrow. "I'm Moishe Kotlyar. What can I do for you, young lady?"

"It may be more what I can do for you," Alexis explained. "I found some paintings hidden in the wall of my apartment. I'm a private detective, and I believe I traced them to your family." Alexis showed him her PI license.

Moishe regarded her ID with a confused look. "With my family, that would be very unlikely. What kind of paintings?"

Alexis held up her phone and swiped through the images. "These. Do you recognize them?"

"The paintings, I've never seen, but the faces I remember. That was my family when I was a boy, everyone except my brother Yakov. He died young, many years ago, cancer. He wanted to learn how to draw, but my father would never allow it it. He insisted it was a form of idolatry. Yakov must have done them in secret somehow. He could have sealed them in a wall. He was excellent with plaster, anything that had to do with his hands, probably the best of all of us. He never had the chance to do much with his gifts. Those paintings are all that remains of him now, his legacy. What's going to happen to them?"

"That's up to you," Alexis replied. "The law says they should be returned to their owner. As far as I can determine, as Yakov's brother, you must be the closest thing to an owner there is. Would you like to have them?"

Alexis could see the sheen of repressed tears in Moishe's eyes. "Yes, I would like to have them very much."

* * *

Castle sat at the table in the breakfast room, making a list. "What are you doing?" Kate asked.

"Figuring out Thanksgiving," Castle explained. "Alexis and Sergei are going to do the 'being with both families' thing again this year. The twins will be sticking to their usual diet. Mother and your father will be coming."

"We should invite Karpowski too," Kate proposed. "She doesn't have any family in the city. That's why she used to work holidays. And Cousin Sofia had an argument with Aunt Theresa, so it might be good if she's here too. I think she and Roselyn might like each other."

Castle's mouth fell open. "Kate Beckett engaging in match making? I never thought I'd see the day."

"I'm not match making, Castle," Kate protested. "I just thought they'd enjoy each other's company. If anything else happens, it does."

"So counting Lily, but not the twins, that makes dinner for nine people, two of whom will be attempting to control themselves, to leave room for a second dinner. That's still just one turkey."

"You could add a ham in there," Kate suggested.

"My mother is already coming," Castle quipped, "but we could go with one of those spiral sliced wonders. Or better yet, venison. Ooh! How about a historical Thanksgiving? Lily could wear her costume. We could get some of that multi-colored corn to stand in for maize. We can have chestnuts, squash, beans. The wild fowl the pilgrims had wouldn't have looked much like an overfed modern turkey. They had passenger pigeons, but they're extinct. I wonder if anyone has ever thought about cloning them like the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park."

"Castle. Let's not go overboard," Kate counseled. "I'm pretty sure everyone's going to be expecting a turkey, wild or not."

"Yeah, you're right," Castle agreed. "I don't really have time to do historical up right this year. We can go Castle classic. But I can start planning for next year. I'll be able to put on a Thanksgiving that no one will ever forget."

"Castle, of that I have no doubt."


	154. Chapter 154

Life Goes On

Chapter 154

It was the farthest thing from a white Christmas that New York, or anywhere on the Eastern Seaboard, had seen. Not only did the populace walk the streets devoid of the usual bundling, the citizens were actually running air conditioners. Combined with the load from Christmas lights and the normally scheduled winter maintenance, power was in short supply. Governors and mayors up and down the coast had issued pleas to minimize the use of electricity by turning off lights and cooling systems as much as possible.

Castle was miserable. The blazing display he had planned for the twins' second Christmas was a no go. He could have run it off a generator, but the last thing he wanted to do was pump any more carbon dioxide into the air. He struggled for a reasonable substitute. Solar powered lights were a partial solution, but had only a fraction of the brilliance of either conventional lights or plug in LEDs. He needed something else, and it had to be magical.

Puzzling over what could be both Christmasy and relatively dark at night, he settled on a Christmas forest. He bought out most of what was left of the trees from the lots of several local churches, particularly seeking out less than perfect trees, and arranged to have them delivered and set up on his lawn. Ordering overnight shipments from prop and costume houses, he populated his forest with quirkily dressed animals, who could be spied among trees decorated with pine cones and berries. Solar lights were just bright enough to suggest starlight at night.

Inside, Castle had set up a large tree, minus the lights, but with all the ornaments the family had collected over the years, unbreakable for the lower branches and shining globes for the upper ones. A carved wooden forest under the tree, complete with beanbag animals, echoed the one outside. In the rest of the house, Lily had insisted that her personal collection of stuffed animals be decked out for Christmas in Santa hats. Stockings were hung over an unlit fireplace, and much to Lily's delight, carols echoed through from the halls.

Christmas Eve dinner had been set early so that the twins would be awake for the festivities. Martha had a performance that night, but she and Jim were able to attend the late afternoon celebration. Alexis and Sergei came as well. The twins, now both able to handle spoons, were in their high chairs at the dining room table, supping on what their diets allowed. Lily sat between her sister and her grandmother, enjoying the attention of both. Castle, at the head of the table, having solicited some tips from Marla, carved a large but extremely tender roast. The table sagged under the assortment of side dishes which would provide leftovers for quick meals in the days to come.

In her diva glory, Martha regaled the company with a tale of a scenery flat crashing right in the middle of a performance, with the actors changing the blocking on the fly as they skirted the hazard throughout the rest of the act. The normally reticent Jim Beckett gave an enthusiastic accounting of his newest class action suit against a website that claimed to provide listings of consumer reviewed service providers, but had in fact been ranking their offerings according to how much ad money they had received. Once he had let it be known that he was seeking accounts of less than first rate jobs, stories of cracked ceilings, leaky plumbing, and botched paint jobs had flooded in. He had taken on an associate and an extra paralegal to help handle the increased workload, but was still overwhelmed. "Dad, I could help," Kate suggested. "It would help me too. I've been looking for a subject for a paper on tortes, and this would be great."

"If you can spare the time, I'd appreciate it," Jim responded. "How are things going with law school? It's been a long haul for you."

"It has," Kate agreed, "but with any luck, I should finally have all the coursework to get my degree in May."

"Then what are you going to do with it?" Jim asked.

"Probably help facilitate things for the lawyers who volunteer their services to the FTC, but once I pass the bar, I will actually be able to go to court on some of those cases myself."

Castle smiled proudly at his wife. "She never stops tilting at windmills."

"Family trait," Jim declared.

Lily dropped her fork loudly to an almost empty plate. "I'm done. Daddy said when we finished eating we could open presents."

"Yes I did," Castle confirmed, "but you'll just have to wait for the grownups. We're a little slower today."

"That's because you're talking." Lily pointed out.

"Very true," Castle agreed, "and someday you will come to appreciate the fine art of conversation over a good meal, but for now you'll just have to wait for us to catch up. Perhaps you'd like to serenade us while while we finish?"

"What's ser'nade?" Lily asked.

"I can bring your keyboard in here and you can sing the Christmas song you wrote," Castle clarified.

Bombarded by a table full of encouraging smiles, Lily agreed. Most dinner plates were practically food-free by the time Lily was set up. When her final sweet tones had faded from the room, the dishes were quickly cleared and the family gathered around the tree, with a twin on the lap of each grandparent.

Lily got to open the first gift, a set of plastic figures to go with her latest movie favorite, an animated tale about a farm where after the crops failed, the animals saved the farmer by composing a hit song. She immediately began acting out a scene, complete with music, while other presents were handed around. The twins received squishy blocks intended to teach stacking skills, but which could also float in a bath. They both also immediately determined that sticking them in their mouths was the most satisfying use for the toys. Martha became misty at a portrait of her starring as Perkins and Jim exclaimed his gratitude for special seats at Yankee stadium.

"Whose idea was this?"Alexis asked after she and Sergei received a joint gift of vouchers for fine dining restaurants and entertainments, designated to be enjoyed together before Bernard's birth.

"Mine," Kate confessed. "Believe me, the two of you should get in all the time you can as a couple in the adult world. As much as you're looking forward to it, after the baby is born, it will be a long time before you have the time or energy to go much of anywhere that isn't baby friendly and doesn't require dragging along a full collection of baby gear."

"The pleasures of parenthood are legion, but Kate is right, you should enjoy your freedom to the fullest while you have it," Castle added.

"Well aware of the tribulations his parents endured raising him and his siblings, Sergei reached for his wife's hand, to quell her doubts. "Thank you. I assure you we will."

* * *

Castle didn't think visions of sugarplums danced in their heads, but the children were nestled all snug in their beds. Kate moved restlessly beside him in their own bed. He reached out to caress her face. "What's the matter?"

"I don't think Alexis appreciated our gift. It seemed like she took it as an insult to her parenting skills."

"It's possible," Castle conceded. "She sometimes still thinks of herself as having raised me. But Sergei understood what we were saying. I have a feeling he'll make sure they take those outings. And not too long from now, Alexis will figure out just how rare and precious their time alone together is. Speaking of which, all three of our little interruptions are asleep and we have a rare and precious moment of our own. As experienced parents we wouldn't want to waste it."

Kate used a fingertip to trace designs on the skin of his chest revealed by the vee of his pajama top, before starting to undo buttons to reveal more. "No Babe, we sure wouldn't."


	155. Chapter 155

Life Goes On

Chapter 155

It was not a good morning for Alexis. She had barely slept the night before, being roused for multiple trips to the bathroom and not easily returning to her dreams. There was no chance to sleep in, either. First she was jolted by the rumble of heavy trucks; then the jackhammers started. She had hoped the office would be quieter and she could grab a nap in the secret room, but she had no such luck.

Prissy Rupert, the CPA from the next office, had come running in to RCI, in tears. She had awakened to find her husband and all of his clothes, gone. Their joint bank accounts had been cleaned out as well. She had tried calling the police, but since the accounts were joint, they considered that no crime had been committed. Prissy begged for help from RCI.

Kevin and Roselyn were both in the field, so Alexis started the trace herself. What appeared on her screen was not useful. She shifted in her chair and rubbed the small of her back. Back pain was not new. She had been having it for months, along with the pain in her feet and the nightly cramps in her calves, but this was more intense than usual. She attributed it to the lack of sleep and tried to continue her search, but she was getting nowhere and was increasingly uncomfortable in her chair. She decided to lie down in the secret room after all, setting up the office system to alert her if anyone came into reception.

A contraction hit, which in no way resembled the Braxton Hicks to which she'd become accustomed. Maybe it was a false alarm. Bernard wasn't due for another two weeks. She waited to see if there would be another one. A few minutes later a band tightened around her middle, and the realization came that Bernard couldn't read a calendar. The baby was on its way. She called Sergei.

* * *

When Castle saw Sergei's ID on his cell, he knew immediately what was going on. Alexis had been increasingly ready to lay her burden down and apparently Bernard was willing to oblige. Sergei confirmed it in a short nervous burst of words. Unfortunately, the timing could have been better. Lily was in school, but Kate was at an exam and would be all morning. Any of the family he'd have called to watch the twins would want to be at the hospital too. Not that Castle could do anything if he was there. Sergei was Alexis' partner and Castle knew from his experience with Kate, that as things progressed, intrusions into that pairing would be less than welcome. Still he wanted to be there, even if it was just to sit in the waiting room. He pushed his contact for Jenny, hoping her kids were both in school as well, and it wasn't one of her working days.

Jenny was able to take the twins for a few hours. It was better than nothing. By the time Castle arrived at the hospital, a contingent of Kasparovs was there, including Sergei's mother and father as well as his brothers and sisters. Martha paced the room while Jim was getting coffee. "Any news?" Castle asked.

"Alexis' labor is going very fast," Sarah Kasparov reported. "It sounded like she was in back labor for a while before she realized it, so she was pretty far along by the time Sergei got her here. Last Sergei told us, she was at eight centimeters, and no problems have shown up for her or the baby."

"I'm not so sure about Sergei," Tatiana added. "When he came out here we had to remind him to breathe."

"I remember that feeling," Castle said.

"So do I," Timothy Kasparov agreed. "He'll survive. I did, for all six of mine."

Sarah snorted. "You survived?"

The laughter throughout the room broke the tension and Castle took a seat next to Timothy. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to update Kate, whenever she had a chance to see it.

Castle gazed up at the waiting room TV screen, mute, but with subtitles. A special bulletin broke into a morning talk show, with images of flames shooting out of a building. Sonofa...," Castle exclaimed. "That's the Twelfth Precinct!" He watched the words streaming across the bottom of the screen. So far no details were known about how the fire had started. There were reports of casualties but nothing official had been issued yet. The story would be updated as more information was released. The talk show returned.

Castle reached for his phone again. "The hell with that!" He pushed his contact for Esposito. It went to voice mail. He searched Twitter. Several witnesses were tweeting. There were pictures of the fire, none as clear as what had been on the news. There were also reports of an explosion and the firefighters carrying out victims, who were loaded into ambulances. It did not look good, but it was also the last thing he needed to think about when his grandchild was about to be born. He forced himself to lean back in his chair and tried to let the cheerful banality of the talk show flow past his eyes.

The fire was immediately pushed to the back of Castle's mind when Sergei strode in with rooster-like pride. "Alexis is fine. Bernard is amazing! You can see both of them in a little while."

* * *

Kate turned in her exam, the first in the room to finish. That was either very good or very bad. Whatever the case, she needed a coffee - a large one. She looked at her watch. This time of day, a truck should be outside. It was there, and as usual, a line had formed. She checked her phone while she waited, seeing Castle's texts about Alexis and about the fire. She left the line and immediately tried to get Esposito, having no more luck than Castle had. She tried several of the other cops she knew from the Twelfth with the same result. Finally she shoved her phone in her pocket and grabbed a cab to the hospital.

* * *

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep them any longer," Jenny apologized when Rick and Kate picked up the twins. "I have to go get Sarah Grace and Nicholas in a few minutes. How are Alexis and the baby?"

"Beautiful and handsome in that order," Castle answered. "They should both be going home tomorrow."

"Have you heard anything from Javi?" Kate asked.

Jenny's teeth plowed into her lower lip. "No. Kevin tried to reach him. We didn't want to call Maria and make things worse."

"We didn't either," Kate agreed. "But we'll keep trying."

"So will Kevin and I," Jenny agreed.

The Castles headed to Latu's Trails to retrieve Lily, who was staying with Lagi until they could pick her up. "Castle, I hate to see today ruined like this, but I'm really worried about the guys from the Twelfth."

"That makes two of us, Kate, but there's nothing we can do. There may be some news by the time we get the kids home, but if it's bad, I don't want Lily to hear it."

"I'm with you there, Castle. We'll just let her enjoy her new auntie status and deal with this quietly."

"Yeah," Castle agreed. "Let's just hope there won't be too much bad news to be quiet about."


	156. Chapter 156

Life Goes On

Chapter 156

The phone rang at midnight but neither Castle nor Kate was asleep. Kate grabbed for it, and seeing Kevin Ryan's ID, answered and thumbed the speaker. Ryan's voice was rough with exhaustion. "Hey Castle, you there too?"

"We're both here, Kevin," Castle replied.

"Listen, Javi's in the hospital, but he's not critical."

"Did he get caught in the blast?" Kate asked.

"Not bad," Kevin replied. "I mean he was rocked by it, he and Sully both. His phone got cracked when he hit the floor. But when his head cleared, he started to help the other cops, you know?" There was smoke everywhere, a lot of it in the break room where Harrison and Bruce were. He got Harrison clear and he went back for Bruce, but one of those stupid vending machines crashed on him, crushed his leg pretty bad. The firefighters got him out, but he was unconscious. He isn't awake yet. Maria's with him."

"But he's going to be all right?" Kate pressed.

Castle could hear the catch in Kevin's voice. "I don't know, the doctors think he might lose the leg."

"Does anyone know what caused this?" Castle questioned. "The news media have been speculating all night about terrorism or a bomb."

"As far as I know there were no signs of either one," Kevin replied. "It's still too hot in there for the fire department to make an investigation. But from what I hear, they're going to try to have something tomorrow. Hey, with all of this going on, Jenny told me Alexis' son was born. How's Alexis doing?"

"She and Bernard are great and Sergei's hanging in there too," Castle reported.

"Yeah well, at least that's good news," Kevin responded.

 **A Few Months Later**

Javier Esposito made his way to his desk next to Ryan's at Richard Castle Investigations. Even though he'd retired from the N.Y.P.D. on disability, with his permanent prosthetic, his limp was barely noticeable. With Alexis only putting in a few hours a week at RCI while she concentrated on caring for Bernard, there was plenty for him to do at RCI. Computer work and administration was not his favorite thing, but the way his therapy was proceeding, by the time Alexis assumed more of her duties again, he would be ready to be in the field. Both Alexis and Castle had promised that when that time came, they wouldn't hold him back.

It wasn't that he was totally over his anger. That damn explosion had been completely avoidable. All the cops at the Twelfth had been complaining for years that the water pressure sucked, but it was considered a minor annoyance and no money had ever been allocated to do anything about it. But the low level of water in the boiler had finally done something about it, something tragic. The boiler exploded, rupturing the gas and water lines and touching off a bigger explosion. What had happened to him was not the worst of it. Three of the cops who had been on the first floor of the building were dead. Many more had been injured. And the Twelfth was gone. The city was making noises about rebuilding it, but many of the men and women who had worked there had been transferred to other precincts or found jobs with other police departments. Jeffords was behind a desk at 1PP. Things would never be the same as they were. But he did as he'd done when he returned from Iraq, he'd kept moving ahead. There was no going back. There never was.

Roselyn's desk was empty because she was preparing for her wedding. When they'd worked together at the Twelfth, he hadn't known much about her private life. Not that he would have cared, but he never knew she was gay. Apparently Kate Beckett had known, as had Castle, and once Kate set Roselyn up with her cousin on Thanksgiving, things had barreled along romantically. That night they would be saying their vows.

* * *

Alexis brushed out her hair for the third time, wishing she'd found space in her day to have it cut. "You look beautiful," Tatiana assured her. "And you and Sergei stay out as long as you like, I'll take good care of Bernard."

"I just hope Sergei makes it out of the lab in time to meet me," Alexis fretted. "he said a case came up at the last minute, but he's going to set things up to run through the next shift."

"Then he will," Tatiana assured her. "Has he ever let you down?"

"Well there was the time he promised to bring dinner and...no of course not, not on anything important," Alexis admitted.

"I've known him a lot longer than you have and he's never let me down either," Tatiana offered. "He'll be there."

* * *

The moon was full and starlight streamed through the windows of a midtown loft rented for the event. Roselyn would have been okay with a simple ceremony at City Hall, but Sofia had dreamed of the whole wedding fantasy and Roselyn was fine with anything her wife-to-be wanted. Tables had been set up around a center aisle for the guests to enjoy the wedding and the dinner. They were draped in snowy white linen and decorated with centerpieces of pink, blue, and white flowers, The same flowers formed an arch at the end of the aisle, where Alexis waited on one side and Kate on the other.

Wearing a blue shift, Roselyn came down the aisle to the strains of "Forever Love." She stood next to Alexis, who was buoyed by a smile from Sergei, who had arrived breathless, but just in time. Roselyn was followed by Sofia in frothy pink and carrying a bouquet. Sofia took her place beside Kate. Sofia had chosen the closest thing she could find to traditional vows, and she and Roselyn repeated them after the minister. Then Sofia handed her bouquet to Kate and she and Roselyn exchanged gold bands. The exchange was followed by a kiss. The attendees rose and applauded, while the DJ played "I Finally Found Someone." Dinner and dancing lasted well into the night. After the initial dance between Roselyn and Sofia, Kate and Castle blissfully took the floor, as did Alexis and Sergei and Kevin and Jenny. Maria's face glowed in a silent prayer of thanks, as Esposito led her out for a dance as well.

When Kate and Castle returned home, they found Svetlana waiting up, even though she had brought a bag for an overnight stay."How was the ceremony?" she asked.

"Nice," Kate replied. "I think Roselyn and Sofia will be very happy together. How were things here? Did the kids behave?"

"As well as could be expected," Svetlana smiled. "The boys wore themselves out banging at their play workbench. They were competing to see who could make the most noise. I think Jake won, but Reese put in a good effort. Lily shut it all out with her earphones and then she watched a video of Cinderella. I think she has the idea that good stories end with a wedding. She wanted to know when she'd be old enough to get married. I suspect she has her eye on Kirk as her Prince Charming."

"What did you tell her?" Castle wondered.

"Just that she'd know when the time was right, but it would probably be a good idea to at least make it through college first, and maybe even have a hit song or two."

Castle grinned. "Good answer, but I think through graduate school too."


	157. Chapter 157

Life Goes On

Chapter 157

With Easter of 2023 falling before Lily's birthday, the festivities were aimed more at the twins, with her celebration to come a week later. Although they were still at an age where they couldn't have any toys with parts small enough to swallow, safe treasures could be hidden in giant eggs around the castle. Playing the dutiful big sister for a little while, Lily helped her brothers uncover the eggs and retrieve their bounty. Bernard, passed between Alexis and Sergei, also observed the hunt, getting his share when eggs prominently marked with a "B" were discovered and opened to reveal teething toys and fanciful rattles.

Jim Beckett and Martha arrived after attending mass. Having snagged a new recipe from Marla, Castle unveiled an Easter meal starring chicken instead of ham, the lack of a curing agent being friendlier for the twins. It was topped off by a special Easter cake, as well as Easter cookies, both of which Lily had helped to decorate.

When the meal was over, Lily played her Easter song, saving the rest of her concert repertoire for her birthday performance. While Lily retired to her room to play with some of her new acquisitions and the twins and Bernard mercifully napped, the adults gathered in the breakfast room for espresso and conversation.

"So Kate, you've finally made it through," Jim Beckett said.

Well, almost," Kate allowed. "I have one more exam and one more paper, but this will be my final semester of law school. Then I'll be working with the lawyers at the FTC center while I study for the bar."

"And after that?" Martha asked.

"I'm planning on taking civil rights cases. We have plenty of them coming into the center. But I may want to do something more, when the twins are older."

"Thinking of politics again?" Jim asked.

"One step at a time," Kate cautioned. "I haven't even got my law degree yet. I may go in that direction sometime in the future, if I think I can make more of a difference that way. But right now I can help people one case at a time."

"And Richard," Martha inserted, "did I hear whispers about a Warwick Award?"

"If you heard them, it must have been from Paula, because no else outside of Curtis and Strom knows, but I'm under consideration. By an amazing feat of precognition..."

"Or coincidence," Kate interjected.

"Either way," Castle continued unfazed, "my book loosely based on Marla's experience and the experiences of women like her, happened to hit their theme this year. So we submitted. If I get it, it would mean a trip to England. I haven't been there in a while and Kate and I can use some time away together. With Lily and the twins, it's been long time since we've had more than a night together by ourselves. The toddler strangeness has faded out now and all the kids feel comfortable with Sergei's family. The twins have actually taken to Bob and Tom, and Lily adores Svetlana and Tatiana. We've come to realize Sarah and Timothy have handled just about every child raising emergency there is, so if we do leave the kids and something happens, there will be someone equipped to cope with everything until we can make it back. And of course you all will be here too," he added hurriedly

"That's alright son," Jim Beckett smiled. "We know Sergei's parents have more child rearing experience than all of us put together. You are lucky to have them in your corner."

"That's for sure," Alexis added. "There have been a couple of times in the middle of the night when Bernard just wouldn't stop crying and Sergei and I didn't know what to do. Sergei called Sarah and she talked us right through it. Dad, I'm sure you or Kate could have done it too, but she was just great."

"So how are you doing, taking Bernard to work with you?" Kate inquired. "I remember when I did it, things could get pretty hectic."

"RCI's usually a lot quieter than the Advocate's office was," Alexis pointed out. "And I have the back room set up perfectly for him now. I have a crib and a rocker and a changing table and a swing. There's a camera back there too, so I can monitor him from my desk if I'm working while he's napping. Kevin's a big help and Javi helps sometimes too. I think he and Maria are giving some thought to having a child and he's using Bernard as kind of a trial run."

"Well that's a change," Castle commented. "When we were at the Twelfth, he didn't even want to hold a baby. But then neither did Kate. Babies do have a way of getting under your skin. But older kids can be the real fun. Speaking of which, we have some news about Lily. She's being considered for a young people's orchestra the university is sponsoring. Kirk got her an audition, but I'm not sure she knew that's what it was. She'll play for anyone, anytime, anywhere. She's in the final two, and we don't want to say anything to her unless she gets the spot. But we should know tomorrow. By the way, is everyone going to be able to make it to her birthday party? She's got quite a selection of songs to perform. Kirk is talking about getting her into a studio to record some music for kids. They're not bad for adults either. I think she may be channeling Mozart."

"Or his sister," Alexis suggested. "She was quite a musician too, but she was under the thumb of her father and he made her stop."

"No problem with that here," Castle noted. "Whether she's channeling Wolfgang or Marianna, I'd never tell her to stop and she wouldn't listen if I did. The Castle and Beckett stubbornness is a potent combination."

* * *

Kate wasn't sure if she'd ever seen so many balloons in one place before. Lily had asked for some for her party, and Castle had responded with his usual tendency toward excess. Aside from filling the house with them, he had also hired a clown who could make balloon creations. He had considered a hot air balloon as well, but Martha had actually been able to steer him away from the idea by pointing out that since he had proposed to Gina in one, they might not be the best luck for the Castle family.

Now that she was officially a member of the Young People's Orchestra, Lily had insisted on wearing what she'd seen musicians wearing at concerts, but rather than sporting one of the long black dresses she'd seen the on the women, she decided on scaled down tails. Even the adults who weren't related to her thought she looked adorable. Castle's birthday gift to her had been an electric spinet piano, which could also double for a harpsichord or a number of other instruments.

Chairs had been set up around the piano for Lily's recital. There was also a play area for children too young or too active to sit still. Most of the students from Latu's Trails came, as well as Kirk and Lagi himself. Alexis and Sergei brought Bernard, who appreciated the balloons. The Ryans brought Sarah Grace and Nicholas. Tatiana and Svetlana had volunteered as child herders and Martha and Jim dropped in as well.

With guidance from Kirk, Lily had adapted her set to the occasion. She played a perky song, she called "Balloons," then one about clowns, one about school, and one dedicated to princesses in castles. By the time she finished, the kids were more than ready for active games, opening of presents, and cake. When all the guests had finally departed, the major debris had been cleaned up, and Lily and the twins were finally settled for the night, Kate and Rick were more than ready for a glass of wine and a quiet cuddle.

"Castle, what are we going to do with all these balloons?" Kate asked.

"That is up to our daughter," Castle pointed out, "and in any case they will eventually deflate on their own. However, I think she might be deftly guided to donate at least some of them to the shelter where Marla works, I'm sure the kids there could use some inflatable rubber joy."

"You had that in mind all along, didn't you, Castle?"

Castle drew her in for a kiss. "A true party master never gives away his secrets."


	158. Chapter 158

Life Goes On

Chapter 158

Kate's breath came unevenly as she rose to take the Lawyers' Pledge. After so many years and rocky starts, the culmination of her efforts held an air of unreality. She wished that Castle's steadying presence could have been beside her, but friends and family had been admitted to the auditorium separately. She would be meeting her husband and her father at the graduation reception after the ceremony, and joining the rest of the family later at the party Castle had arranged. She raised her hand and solemnly intoned the words with the other graduates.

 _LAWYERS' PLEDGE OF PROFESSIONALISM_

 _1\. I will remember that the practice of law is first and foremost a profession, and I_

 _will subordinate business concerns to professionalism concerns._

 _2\. I will encourage respect for the law and our legal system through my words and_

 _actions._

 _3\. I will remember my responsibilities to serve as an officer of the court and_

 _protector of individual rights._

 _4\. I will contribute time and resources to public service, public education, charitable,_

 _and pro bono activities in my community._

 _5\. I will work with the other participants in the legal system, including judges,_

 _opposing counsel and those whose practices are different from mine, to make our_

 _legal system more accessible and responsive._

 _6\. I will resolve matters expeditiously and without unnecessary expense._

 _7\. I will resolve disputes through negotiation whenever possible._

 _8\. I will keep my clients well-informed and involved in making the decisions that_

 _affect them._

 _9\. I will continue to expand my knowledge of the law._

 _10\. I will achieve and maintain proficiency in my practice._

 _11\. I will be courteous to those with whom I come into contact during the course of_

 _my work._

 _12\. I will honor the spirit and intent, as well as the requirements, of the applicable_

 _rules or code of professional conduct for my jurisdiction, and I will encourage_

 _others to do the same._

* * *

The Old Haunt was closed for the night except for Kate's graduation blast. As usual, Castle had gone all out. There was both a jazz ensemble and a DJ to play Kate's favorites. The drinks had been renamed for the night in a law theme, including the Misdemeanor and the Felony. A large cake was "The Torte." Kate was amazed at size of the crowd. Colleagues from the Twelfth, the Advocates office, and of course FTC and RCI had come with significant others, to celebrate the culmination of her studies. Martha had apologized over and over that she had a performance, but of course Jim Beckett was there, alternating between a proud glow and mistiness.

When Frank Sinatra's rendition of High Hopes reached an end, Castle signaled to the DJ to stop, and called loudly for attention. When the party quieted down, he began his toast. "The obstacles Kate has had to overcome to reach this moment, make an ant moving a rubber tree plant look like an easy task, but from her career in the N.Y.P.D., as Public Advocate, and through her work at Fill the Cracks, my wife's pursuit of justice and the means to attain it, has been unflinching and unrelenting. It has also been successful. You all know that this city and indeed this country are the better for her efforts. We celebrate another success tonight, along her road to tilt at even bigger and fiercer windmills." He raised his glass. "To Kate Beckett, J.D."

"To Kate," echoed through the room. Castle nodded to the DJ and extended a hand to Kate, to begin a waltz to Sinatra's musical declaration of "I'm Not Afraid." Even in the midst of the crowded room, from the moment they took the floor, they saw and felt only each other.

* * *

Lily and the twins were long asleep when the Castles returned to Fieldston. Lagi, babysitting as a graduation present to Kate, reported that Lily was a bit disappointed at not attending the party, but that the kids were all fine. Perceiving the vibrations between the couple as Kate leaned into Castle's shoulder, he quickly wished them good night and left.

"Well here we are Castle," Kate proclaimed. "The kids are asleep and we're all alone."

"We've already had a waltz," Castle murmured. "Did you have some other form of personal celebration in mind?"

"Very personal," Kate whispered, sticking her fingers beneath the waistband of his pants and pulling him toward the bedroom. They undressed without words. The May air was cool, but not enough to trigger the climate control system. Kate pulled back the sheets and slipped between them, issuing a silent invitation for Castle to follow. It was dark, with only what starlight made it through the windows, for illumination. There was no need of light. They knew every inch of each other's bodies, from smooth skin to fading scars. Kate ran her fingers over the familiar planes of Castle's face, his jawline now roughened with a day's growth. "I couldn't have done it without you, you know. None of it. Putting Bracken away. Surviving the shootings. The captaincy, the Advocate's office, FTC, law school, none of it. You said my pursuit was relentless. If you hadn't kept trailing after me, challenging me, I would still be in a rabbit hole, with my anger and grief pulled around me like a shield."

"And if you hadn't walked into my book party, I would have been a has-been writer trying to salve my frustration and boredom with meaningless relationships. We saved each other, Kate. We brought each other back to the wonderful adventures of life, and we'll continue to find new ones every day."

Kate rose above him, the tip of her index finger tracing his lips. "We could could start another adventure tonight."

Castle's words of agreement spilled out quickly. "We could do that. We could certainly do that."

Their lips met, softly at first, the touch both familiar and exhilarating. The pressure increased as their tongues took up the waltz they had started earlier. Slowly heating skin pressed against slowly heating skin, as their excitement rose. Kate could feel his hardness against her, firing her own desire. She arched closer, her hips moving of their own accord. He knew just where to touch to bring her need to a fevered pitch. She writhed beneath him. His hands moved to cup the tight globes below her back, bringing her flush and flushing against him. She was hot, open, wet, begging to be filled. She ground against him in urgent invitation. Their lips pressed together harder and she gasped at their joining. He flipped her above him, his palms loving her breasts as she rode. Her head fell back, the tips of her hair brushing his thighs as air sobbed through her lungs. He reached for her again, his fingers finding the epicenter of her need as she bucked. Tremors ripped through her, catching him in their wake. A scream rose in her throat, caught by his lips. She collapsed against his chest, full but drained. After a few moments, Castle found the strength to pull a sheet and blanket over both of them.

* * *

The morning was bright with both promise and sunlight. Rick and Kate awoke not long after dawn, early enough to grab a shower before Lily and the twins roused. After drying off, Castle pulled on the familiar comfort of his favorite plaid shirt. "If you want to check on our somnolent offspring, I'll make breakfast," he offered. "Requests?'

"Anything but s'morelets or chocolate chimichangas," Kate responded. "But western omelets would be nice, if you're doing a plain one for Lily and the yolk thing for the twins."

"The Castle family omelet bar is now open" Rick declared. "Round 'em up and bring 'em in."

Rick separated eggs for the twins and prepared batters ready to pour into his special pans, when the family arrived. He could hear Lilly singing her way to the table, and the twins' playful toddler dashes, as they challenged Kate to shoo them to the morning meal. He quickly cooked the omelets and slid them out onto warm plates. While he waited for the inevitable clomp of small but heavy feet, he fixed a pitcher of orange juice and put it on the table. Lily danced in and took her place. Castle could hear the giggles as Kate herded first one twin and then the other toward the breakfast room. Finally Jake ran ahead, and putting her hands under Reese's arms, she brought him along too. Castle distributed the food and slid into his chair. When Kate arrived, she poured sunny juice into sippy cups for the twins, and glasses for Lily and Castle, as well as herself. Eager mouths drank the sweet liquid. Aglow in the brilliance of the smiles of their children, Rick and Kate were prepared to face whatever the days ahead would bring.

Finis

A/N Kate's law school was loosely based on CUNY law school in New York City, which does accept transfers and also offers part time study. "I'm Not Afraid" is in ¾ time. The Castles could have waltzed to it. The Lawyer's Pledge is copyright 2010 by the American Bar Association.

My entry into the Halloween Bash will follow this story, with Kate and Rick taking a trip to the United Kingdom for Rick's Warwick prize. They will be taking a side trip Edinburgh Scotland, home of both a comic con and one of Europe's most haunted castles. I will be messing with the timing of the con a bit, but the story will be set in 2023 so that is hardly written in stone. You know there will be a mystery to solve. So join me tomorrow for "Distress from the Dungeons." Thanks for coming along.

Love, Sally


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